Ugandan top distance ace Joshua Cheptegei finished third in the 5000m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Lausanne, in an impressive personal best time of 12:59.83.
The time is well inside his season best of 13:02.84, and previous personal best of 13:00.60 and saw him qualify for the 5000m Diamond League final in Zurich on August 24. Cheptegei is building up for the World Championships in London August 4-13.
Thursday’s race was won in a new world best time of the year of 12:55.23 by Ethiopia’s Edris Muktar. (See other results page 2)
Cheptegei wins $4000 from Luasanne, but now stands a chance to race for a 1st prize of $50,000 in the Zurich Finals. Second in the final will get $20,000 and third $10,000.
Very happy with my PB and third place yesterday, thank you @Diamond_League! #LausanneDL pic.twitter.com/fgG4Ete6s2
— Joshua Cheptegei (@joshuacheptege1) July 7, 2017
It is Chepetegi’s second race in a week.
Last Saturday, Cheptegei continued his stready return to the track with a 4th place finish ($3000), this time in the 3ooom at the Paris Diamond Athletics League .
In front of 14,568 spectators at Charléty Stadium, Cheptegei clocked 7:34.96 to finish fourth in a race won by Edris Muktar of Ethiopia in a personal best of 7:32.31.
The result kept Cheptegei ranked 4th with 10 points in the Diamond League long distance standings following his earlier 4th place finish in a star-studded 5000 Metres Prefontaine Classic race in May.
Cheptegei, like the rest of the world’s best, have an eye on August’s World Championships, where he is expected to run the 5000m and 10000m.
All 12 #DiamondLeague finalists are now confirmed for the men’s 5000m!#LausanneDL#ZurichDL#RoadToTheFinal pic.twitter.com/S3Bu1H2Hrn
— IAAF Diamond League (@Diamond_League) July 6, 2017
Luasanne Result
Luasanne 5000m Result by The Independent Magazine on Scribd