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Paris Olympics: Uganda's Cheptegei to opt out of 5000m race

Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 05.08.24. | 18:34

Uganda will reportedly request his name to be taken out of Wednesday's start-list by Monday night

Newly crowned Paris Olympics men’s 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei is highly unlikely to defend his 5000m crown after reportedly requesting to be exempted from the race start list due to injury.

According to Ugandan website Monitor, Cheptegei, 27, suffered a shoulder injury on Friday 2 August, moments after his emphatic win at Stade de France that saw him clock an Olympic record time of 26:43.14.

The injury, which a source talking to the publication described as “not serious”, is said to have been caused by an athlete who fell on him during the ensuing gold medal celebrations.

“He felt a lot of pain on Saturday morning and even now,” the unnamed source said on Monday. “He might not be in the right shape for the race.”

Additional information indicates that Uganda, the country he represents, will request the Olympics Committee to strike off Cheptegei’s name from the 5000m start list by Monday night.

The men’s 5000m event is scheduled to start with the Round One heats on 7 August, and the final taking place on 10 August.

Whilst the developments may not be certain, Ugandan journalist reports that Cheptegei “will not compete in the 5000-metre event,” which could end up being a huge blow for an athlete who was set to run the race as his last ever on the track before transitioning to marathon.

The Kenyan trio of Jacob Krop, Edwin Kurgat, and Ronald Kwemoi is expected to hunt for the nation’s second gold medal at the event in the French capital.



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Joshua CheptegeiParis 2024 Olympic GamesParis Olympics

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