Joshua Cheptegei has become champion of the World 10000m for the third time in a row crossing the finishing line first before Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo and ethiopia’s Selemon Barega in second and third place respectively
Cheptegei clocked a time of 27:51:48 while Ebenyo and Barega clocked 27:52:60 and 27:52:72 in that same order.
Cheptegei has added this championship to one he won in Doha in 2019 and that in Oregon last year.
Having not had a good season , mostly because of that injury he picked at last year’s Worlds in Oregon, and even missing out the commonwealth games in England, many had lowered his odds of winning that epic race in Budapest.
Especially with the presence of the Ethiopian dou in on form Aregawi who has been having a good time this season and a one Selemon Barega a man who made him settle for a silver in the 10,000m during the Tokyo olympics.
However Cheptegei rose on the occcasion keeping his cool and putting up a good tactical display amidst the ambitious Ethiopians and pulling it off in those last two laps to prove that he is still one of those names that the world will live to remember.
He joins the league of giants, becoming only the fourth athlete to clinch three or more consecutive world championships
After first Ethiopia’s Haile Gabrselassie who won it for four times in a row from the worlds in Stuttgart in 1993 to the 1997 championship in Athens, Greece.
Second former 10,000 and 5000m record holder Kenenisa Bekele who also claimed four consecutive championships from that in Saint Denis in 2003 to one in Berlin in 2009 and then England International Mo Farah who took home three consecutive championships from one in 2013 in Moscow to that of 2017 in London where Cheptegei walked away with silver.
The fastest man ever in both the 5000 and 10,000m however believes that this was his last race on the track and sees it as the best seasonal ending.
“Iam very excited and proud that i have succeeded in winning my third title in a row,this was the best possible way to end the season, this might be my last championship on the track that’s why the gold medal means even more.” Said Cheptegei after his victory .”
With this victory Cheptegei is believed to have walked away with about 256m Ushs.