Olympic champion Cheptegei chasing maiden marathon victory in Amsterdam
Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 23.07.25. | 11:30
He made his marathon debut in Valencia in 2023, improving
Joshua Cheptegei is the second big name to miss the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, after being named in the TCS Amsterdam Marathon on 19 October.
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The Olympic 10,000m champion will be running his third marathon as the race celebrates its 50th edition.
Earlier in the year, Cheptegei had announced his exit from track competition saying, “I have had incredible moments on the track, especially winning many medals from World Championships and Olympic Games, but I have been doing this for quite a long time and now it is the right time for me to transition and see the other part of life.”
Joshua Cheptegei will race the Amsterdam Marathon on October 19.
— Jonathan Gault (@jgault13) July 22, 2025
His two marathons so far:
2023 Valencia: 37th in 2:08:59
2025 Tokyo: 9th in 2:05:59
He will run the Antrim Coast Half on August 24 as a tuneup.
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The three-time world champion who holds the world records in the 5000m and 10,000m, joins what is expected to be a loaded field as Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola has already been announced for the event.
“I am looking forward to racing in Amsterdam and writing the next chapter of my career,” said Cheptegei. “It is a city and a race rich in history, and I cannot wait to create memorable moments.”
The Ugandan made his marathon debut in Valencia in 2023, clocking 2:08:59 for a 37th-place finish. He went on to win the Olympic 10,000m gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and returned to the marathon distance at the Tokyo Marathon in 2025, where he clocked a personal best of 2:05:59 to finish ninth.
Before the marathon, Cheptegei races at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon on Sunday, 24 August, before lining up in Amsterdam, an event he says he is very excited to make his debut in the event.
“I have watched the race on television and the course looks beautiful and very fast," he says.
Tola, the reigning Olympic marathon champion and course record holder in Amsterdam, presents the biggest challenge for Cheptegei, who is chasing a maiden victory in the classic distance.
