Defending champion and world record holder Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda) won gold over 10,000 m at the World Championships in Athletics in Eugene.
In a race that was tactically shaped for a long time, the 25-year-old prevailed in 27:27.43 minutes after a thrilling final sprint ahead of Stanley Mburu from Kenya (27:27.90). Bronze went to Cheptegei’s compatriot Jacob Kiplimo (27:29.97).
Surprisingly, Olympic champion Selemon Barega (Ethiopia) only finished fifth. The Ethiopians are record winners over this distance at world championships with nine titles, four each by Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele, but last won eleven years ago. Kenya’s last triumph over the 25 stadium rounds was even 21 years ago.
