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Is it Joshua Cheptegei time?

Cheptegei’s time to dominate?

Sunday 8PM
➡ 10,000m 
F – Joshua CHEPTEGEI | Abdallah Kibet MANDE

SATURDAY RESULT 🇺🇬 Marathon
✳ Fred MUSOBO in 13th  2:13:42
✳ Stephen KIPROTICH in 18th 2:15:04
✳ Solomon MUTAI (DNF)
➡ Winner
✳ Lelisa DESISA ETH Ethiopia 2:10:40

Kampala, Uganda  | LOUIS JADWONG |  Ugandan women have done it twice already, winning track gold a the World Championships in Helsinki 2005 and at Doha 2019. The men, are still looking.

Joshua Cheptegei has had a season focused on preserving himself for tonight’s challenge, and he is best placed to become the country’s first man to win a title on the track.

With the retirement of legend Mo Farah from track competition, the 10,000m will have a new champion for the first time since Moscow 2013. By the time he retired last year, Farah had captures 10 successive world or Olympic titles in the 10,000 metres.

All signs are that it is time for world cross-country champion Cheptegei, silver medalist two years ago, to take the crown in the 10,000m. He warmed up for Doha by winning the 5000m Diamond League Final in August.

“In Doha I will not compete in the 5k but the 10k. Winning the gold medal there would be special because I have never won a track gold at World Championships. I planned this race and I expected to win,” he said after the Zurich Diamond League final.

“I will train in the mountains of Uganda until Doha and the good thing is that my coach will be there, too.”

“He is in his best shape ever,” coach Addy Ruiter told The Daily Monitor. “We have a plan A, B, C and if it fails, D. But races are different, anything can happen but it sometimes comes down to the individual.”

Limited races over this distance this year make form very hard to read, but the last time a near complete field of 10,000m elite runners assembled to compete, 23-year-old Cheptegei won. This was at last year’s Commonwealth Games, where he picked the double – 5000m and 10,000m.

The Ethiopians are not members of the Commonwealth, so watched on TV, but will be the biggest threats to Cheptegei tonight.

Cheptegei (left) and his coach Ruiter at a previous camp. PHOTO NN RUNNING TEAM MEDIA

Ethiopians Yomif Kejelcha and Hagos Gebrhiwet have the fastest times in the distance this year, with 26:49.99 and 26:48.95 respectively. Sandwiching their times is Cheptegei, with 26:49.94.

Cheptegei will however miss colleague Jacob Kiplimo, who came  4th at the Commonwealth Games 10,000m final last year, and was second at the World Cross Country. He has struggled with injury the past few months, and withdrew before Doha started.

Turning silver into gold?

It is the 2017 World Championship silver medal that Cheptegei will hope to improve on this time round. If he does, he will become only the fourth Ugandan to win World Athletics Championship gold, joining steeplechaser Dorcus Inzikuru in Helsinki 2005, Stephen Kiprotich off track in the marathon in Moscow 2013 and Halimah Nakaayi in the 800m at Doha 2019.

Other medals for Uganda at the Worlds have been two Silvers by Davis Kamoga Athens 1997 and Joshua Cheptegei 2017; Bronzes by Moses Kipsiro Osaka 2007 and Solomon Mutai in Beijing 2015.

The reward for winning a World Championship gold is a tax-free $60,000 prize. If one breaks the world record, which is  26:17.53 minutes, a $100,000 bonus is given.

✳ Today’s 10,000m starting lineup

 LANE BIB ATHLETE COUNTRY PB SB 2019
1 1291 Rodgers KWEMOI KENKEN 27:25.23 27:26.92
2 237 Onesphore NZIKWINKUNDA BDIBDI 28:09.98 28:11.90
3 1906 Shadrack KIPCHIRCHIR USAUSA 27:07.55 27:47.71
4 1085 Yemaneberhan CRIPPA ITAITA 27:44.21 27:49.79
5 1907 Leonard KORIR USAUSA 27:20.18 27:34.01
6 701 Hagos GEBRHIWET ETHETH 26:48.95 26:48.95
7 1488 Sondre Nordstad MOEN NORNOR 27:24.78 27:24.78
8 394 Mohammed AHMED CANCAN 27:02.35
9 697 Andamlak BELIHU ETHETH 26:53.15 26:53.15
10 245 Soufiane BOUCHIKHI BELBEL 27:41.20 28:04.09
11 640 Aron KIFLE ERIERI 27:09.92 27:27.68
12 1793 Joshua CHEPTEGEI UGAUGA 26:49.94
13 1912 Lopez LOMONG USAUSA 27:30.06 27:30.06
14 1287 Alex KORIO KENKEN 27:29.40 27:29.40
15 705 Yomif KEJELCHA ETHETH 26:49.99 26:49.99
16 236 Thierry NDIKUMWENAYO BDIBDI
17 1680 Julien WANDERS SUISUI 27:17.29 27:17.29
18 1284 Rhonex KIPRUTO KENKEN 26:50.16 26:50.16
19 235 Rodrigue KWIZERA BDIBDI
20 1798 Abdallah Kibet MANDE UGAUGA 27:22.89 27:22.89
21 362 Hassan CHANI BRNBRN 27:38.16 28:31.30

✳ Commonwealth 10,000m final result last year

Rank Order Name Result Notes
1st, gold medalist(s) 8  Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) 27:19.62 GR
2nd, silver medalist(s) 12  Mohammed Ahmed (CAN) 27:20.56
3rd, bronze medalist(s) 14  Rodgers Kwemoi (KEN) 27:28.66 SB
4 4  Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) 27:30.25 SB
5 15  Jake Robertson (NZL) 27:30.90 NR
6 9  Stephen Mokoka (RSA) 27:44.58 SB
7 11  Timothy Toroitich (UGA) 27:47.35
8 2  Jonathan Ndiku (KEN) 27:56.24
9 13  Andy Vernon (ENG) 28:17.11
10 10  Josphat Bett Kipkoech (KEN) 28:56.22
11 5  Stewart McSweyn (AUS) 28:58.22
12 6  Kefasi Chitsala (MAW) 29:21.68 PB
13 3  Toka Badboy (LES) 31:22.38
1  Patrick Tiernan (AUS) DQ R 163.3b
7  Simon Charley (VAN) DNS

✳Prize Money (tax free in Uganda)
1st $60,000
2nd $30,000
3rd $20,000
4th $15,000
5th $10,000
6th $6,000
7th $5,000
8th $4,000

(Read Uganda Tax laws BOTTOM, Page 36)

Domestic Taxes Laws of Uganda 2018 EDITION by The Independent Magazine on Scribd

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