The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
4pm – 🇺🇬Uganda’s senior men team
Joel AYEKO
Thomas AYEKO
Albert CHEMUTAI
Joshua CHEPTEGEI
Jacob KIPLIMO
Maxwell ROTICH
3pm – 🇺🇬Uganda’s senior women team
Esther CHEBET
Rachael Zena CHEBET
Juliet CHEKWEL
Peruth CHEMUTAI
Doreen CHESANG
Stella CHESANG
2pm – 🇺🇬Uganda’s U20 men team
Dan CHEBET
Mathew Job CHEKWURUI
Oscar CHELIMO
Denis CHEROTICH
Samuel KIBET
Hosea KIPLANGAT
1.35pm – 🇺🇬Uganda’s U20 women team
Esther Yeko CHEKWEMOI
Leah CHELANGAT
Rebecca CHELANGAT
Sarah CHELANGAT
Annet CHESANG
1.00pm – 🇺🇬Uganda MIXED RELAY
Aarhus, Denmark | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei is back to claim what was supposed to be his two years ago – the men’s senior IAAF World Cross Country Championships title.
In front of his fans in Kampala in 2017, Cheptegei set a blistering opening pace and looked all set to wrap up the title with two kilometers to go, when his legs gave way. He walked home in 30th position.
He now says that experience has only made him stronger, as shown by the Olympic silver medal and double gold he has won in track long distance races since then. “I learnt to believe in myself after that 2017 experience,” Cheptegei said in an interview on the eve of today’s race.
“It was actually a great experience… I will not say it was negative, because out of that I have grown in terms of experience. I have graduated in the seniors where I have the fastest 15km time in the world, and won silver in the World Championships.”
While he admits the Aarhus course is more demanding than Kololo 2017, with the many climbs and water sections, he said he intends to enjoy the race, as it is not always only about winning.
The other competitors in the race will see this as a red herring.
Defending champion Geoffrey Kamworor from Kenya will be gunning for his third straight senior title while the Young Turks, Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, 18, who together with Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega, 19, have been in fine form in the past year with several victories on the cross-country circuit in Europe, will be waiting in the wings to strike.
Here’s a preview of the race from the IAAF:
Here are just some questions posed by the senior men’s race at the IAAF/Mikkeller World Cross Country Championships Aarhus 2019:
– can Geoffrey Kamworor extend his cross-country dominance to five years;
– can Joshua Cheptegei put behind the horror of his last half-lap in Kampala two years ago and take a first senior title for Uganda;
– can Cheptegei’s teammate Jacob Kiplimo graduate direct from a junior championship triumph at home to become world senior champion;
– can Kiplimo or Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega win the senior world championship and become the youngest-ever senior men’s champion;
– can any other individual or team hang tough with the East African individuals and teams.
