Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Uganda Monitor
Published on 2024-03-16 02:00:00
The Paris 2024 Olympics hold significant importance for Joshua Cheptegei, who sees these Games as a crucial milestone in his long-distance track career. Despite making his marathon debut in Valencia, Spain, last December, Cheptegei and his management have made it clear that he plans to return to compete in the 10,000m final in Paris in August.
Having failed to secure the gold medal in the 25-lap event at the Olympics in his previous attempts, Cheptegei has set his sights on achieving that goal in 2024. However, before he can focus on winning the gold in Paris, he has to first qualify for the event.
In order to secure his ticket to the Paris Olympics, Cheptegei will be competing at the Laredo 10K in Spain on Saturday. His coach, Addy Ruiter, stated that the main goal for the race is to meet the qualification standard for the 10,000m event in Paris.
Despite the close proximity to the Olympics, Cheptegei has yet to qualify for his preferred event. The qualification window for the 10,000m event in Paris opened on July 1, 2023, and will close on July 4, 2024. Cheptegei has only competed in the event once during this period, when he won the world championship title in Budapest last August but fell short of the qualifying time for Paris.
In Laredo, where he previously won in 2016, Cheptegei will need to beat the 10K road standard of 27 minutes to secure his spot in Paris. Despite having run a marathon just three months ago, Coach Ruiter is confident that Cheptegei has maintained his speed in training and is well-prepared for the upcoming race.
The 27-year-old athlete will be joined by Naman Kipyeko as his pacer for the first 3km of the race, and they will face tough competition from Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha. With a fast race expected, Cheptegei will need to give his best performance to meet the qualification standard for the Paris Olympics.
Joshua Cheptegei’s impressive record in major races and his personal bests in various distances highlight his talent and dedication to the sport. With the Paris 2024 Olympics serving as a crucial milestone in his career, Cheptegei is determined to achieve his goals and make his mark on the world stage.
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