Meb for Mortals Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda won the men’s Olympic 5,000-meter title in 12:58.15 on August 6 in Tokyo.
Mohammed Ahmed of Canada placed second in 12.58.61, and U.S. champion Paul Chelimo Best Running Shoes 2025 Grant Fisher and Woody Kincaid, finished ninth (13.08.40) and 14th (13:17.20), respectively. Both were doubling back from the 10,000 last Friday, in which Fisher finished fifth and Kincaid 15th.
“It’s really a great moment,” Cheptegei said. “I made a small mistake [in the 10,000] and I was regretting [having] to become a silver medalist. I came here to become an Olympic champion, and my dream has been fulfilled today in a beautiful evening.”
The early pace was solid through 2 kilometers, around 13:05 for the full distance. With conditions of 84 degrees and 78% humidity, nobody was likely to push hard too soon. Cheptegei took control of the race after the pace slowed in the third kilometer. He briefly moved to the front after passing 3,000 meters in 7:55.25, and although he slipped out of the lead after, he was the one setting the agenda.
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A 2:37 fourth kilometer strung out the pack, but there were still 10 men together with two laps to go. Not for the first time in his career, Chelimo found himself shoved around and shoving others in a tight pack. He was briefly knocked to the inside with 600 meters to go, and tangled with Kenyan Nicholas Kimeli with 200 meters to go.
“I knew it was going to be tough, that there was going to be a lot of bumping,” Chelimo said. “That’s part of the game, and I tried to run a really smart race to get into the medals.”
Kimeli, who wound up fourth in 12:59.17, had a different take on the late-race tussles.
“I was pushed by Chelimo, which disoriented me,” he said. “Chelimo stepped aside, inside the track, so it was not fair for us. That’s where I lose the steps to Cheptegei. I was about to catch Cheptegei when Chelimo pushed me. I tried quickly to balance myself.”
Cheptegei avoided these potential pitfalls by moving to the front with 500 meters left and starting a long drive to dampen the kick of better sprinters like Chelimo. The Ugandan was never seriously threatened after.
“I knew a lot of guys were strong, so I had to take them through the lap, and whoever was the strongest in the mind [would win],” Cheptegei said. “I knew I was strong in the mind because I broke a couple of world records.” (Cheptegei also holds the 10,000-meter world record.)
Behind him, Ahmed, who trains with the Bowerman Track Club in Portland, Oregon, moved up down the backstretch. With Cheptegei running wide in lane 1, Ahmed took the shortest path, hugging the rail off the final curve and moving from fourth to second over the last 100 meters. Chelimo and Kimeli struggled and strained as they battled for bronze, which Chelimo claimed with a dramatic dive over the line.
“I’m very excited,” Chelimo said. “I always believe in one thing—go hard or stop for the rest of your life.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including Running Is My Therapy, Advanced Marathoning, and Join Runners World+ to stay up to date on the Tokyo Olympics. A Part of Hearst Digital Media Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
