Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei wins gold in the Olympic 10,000-meter race, showcasing his exceptional talent and determination.
On an electrifying opening night for track at the Stade de France, Joshua Cheptegei from Uganda produced a marvelous performance in the 10,000-meter final. He claimed victory by taking charge with just over one lap remaining and set an Olympic-record time of 26 minutes and 43.14 seconds while being cheered on wildly by the enthusiastic crowd.
For the majority of 25 laps on a tranquil Parisian evening, the holder of the world-record skillfully maneuvered through a widely spread group. However, as they rounded the corner, he surged ahead and maintained his lead for 500 meters despite intense competition from an Ethiopian cohort who had set an exhilarating pace throughout.
In a sprint to the finish line, Berihu Aregawi from Ethiopia claimed silver over American Grant Fisher. With his bronze medal win, Fisher secured the first U.S. medal in the longest race on Olympic track since Galen Rupp’s second-place victory back in 2012.
Cheptegei’s sole race at this distance earlier in the season was a 26:53 run in a cross-country road race, making this his first track event of the year.
In peak physical condition, he was able to transform a race that Aregawi and his Ethiopian teammates had been dominating by stringing out the pack early on and taking turns leading. As a result of his impressive performance, Uganda emerged victorious for the first time in the 112-year Olympic history of this event – turning it into an unforgettable celebration.
Cheptegei won a prize of $50,000 – which is newly introduced for Olympic track this year. Moreover, he got the privilege to ring the bell at the end of the stadium exclusively reserved for freshly enthroned Olympics champions.
Cheptegei now has the silver medal he won in Tokyo, along with his world titles from 2019, 2022 and 2023.
“Finally, my collection is whole,” he proclaimed. “As the previous world champion, I’ve now added an Olympic gold medal to my achievements. The feeling of excitement within me cannot be contained.”
Sifan Hassan has already completed 5,000 meters and still has a remaining distance of 57 to cover.
Sifan Hassan, the formidable athlete, has successfully completed the starting phase of what appears to be a significantly occupied Olympic Games. Her performance in coming second during the preliminary 5,000 meter race was impressive.
Hassan intends to participate in both the 10,000 meters and marathon races. Three years ago during the Tokyo Olympics, this Dutch runner of Ethiopian descent achieved a remarkable feat – winning medals across all three distances: 1,500m, 5,o00m and 10,000m.
Although she understands that achieving a perfect score of 3 out of 3 might not be feasible this time, she intends to make an effort.
“After completing her heat in 14 minutes, 57.65 seconds, Hassan revealed that while standing at the start line she often questions herself with doubts like “Why? Why do you want this?” but once done and headed back home there is a sense of eagerness to keep going driven by curiosity.”
One of the newest events in track saw Americans breaking a world record.
In a competition that has been around for just 5 years, the U.S. mixed 4×400 meter relay team established a new global record.
Breaking a record set at the world championships last year, Vernon Norwood’s team including Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon and Kaylyn Brown completed four laps in 3 minutes and 7.41 seconds.
The only accomplishment of the record was to secure a spot for the Americans in Saturday’s final, where there is once again potential for it to be surpassed.
The final shot put competition will feature Crouser and Kovacs.
Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs from the United States, along with Tom Walsh from New Zealand, have all made it to the shot put final. They now have an opportunity to secure a 1-2-3 finish in that precise sequence for three consecutive Olympic Games.
Despite struggling with an elbow injury this year, Crouser was able to qualify for the next round after just one throw that measured 21.49 meters.
Leonardo Fabbri from Italy is also included, having thrown the largest distance of 21.76 during the evening.
Triple jumper Jasmine Moore is eliminated after a single attempt.
With just one jump, which measured a season-best 14.43 meters, Jasmine Moore secured her position in the triple jump finals and became the first American woman to qualify for both triple and long jumps at the Olympics while also keeping her workload minimal.
Cuba’s Leyanis Perez Hernandez dominated the event with a jump of 14.68, taking advantage of defending champion and world-record holder Yulimar Rojas’ Achilles tendon injury that abruptly ended her season this spring.
