- On Wednesday, October 7, Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda set a new world record in the 10,000 metres, breaking Kenenisa Bekele’s record from 2005.
- This is Cheptegei’s third record-setting race of the year—and he’s only raced four times.
Joshua Cheptegei has only raced four times in 2020, but he has made each opportunity count by breaking three world records. His latest performance broke a 15-year-old world record in the men’s 10,000 metres.
In a race organised by his training group, NN Running Team, the Ugandan distance runner ran 26:11.00 at the NN Valencia World Record Day in Valencia, Spain on Wednesday night. Cheptegei’s performance broke the previous world record of 26:17.53 set by Kenenisa Bekele in 2005.
'[The world record] means something great to me,' Cheptegei told race organisers. 'We are trying to write history because we want people to know that track is still exciting and we want to give it all.'
Prior to breaking the 10,000-metre world record, Cheptegei Wavelight technology, a new innovation that uses coloured lighting set up along the inside rail of the track to enable athletes to target a specific pace. Pacers Matt Ramsden and Nicolas Kimeli guided Cheptegei through 1600 metres in 4:12, 3,000 metres in 7:52, and 5,000 metres in 13:07. Around 5,200 metres, Kimeli stepped off the track, leaving the remaining 4,800 metres up to the 2019 10,000-metre world champion.
Running alone for the second half of the race, Cheptegei stayed within range of the record while a small crowd of spectators in face masks cheered on the sidelines. With 12 laps to go, Cheptegei accelerated into In a year filled with upheaval and uncertainty as a result of the Like this article.
At the bell, Cheptegei mustered all of his remaining energy into the homestretch where he drove his arms for one final push into the finish, splitting 60 seconds for the last 400 metres. In 26 minutes and 11 seconds flat, the 24-year-old ran his way into history once again with a 37-second personal best.
Cheptegei said he hoped the performance could provide a bright spot This is Cheptegeis third record-setting race of the yearand hes only raced four times at the Monaco Diamond League meet on August 14. Before the race cancellations caused by the coronavirus outbreak, Cheptegei at the Monaco Run 5K on February 16. On December 1, 2019, he Runners World US Runners World, Part of the Hearst UK Wellbeing Network record by winning the 10K Valencia Trinidad Alfonso in 26:38.
In a year filled with upheaval and uncertainty as a result of the global pandemic, Published: 08 October 2020.
'We live in a difficult situation now with COVID, but this event can still give us joy and still give us hope for tomorrow, knowing that we need to take precautions to defeat the virus,' Cheptegei told race organisers.
Before Cheptegei broke the men’s 10,000-metre world record, Letesenbet Gidey shattered the world record in the women’s 5,000 metres. The Ethiopian distance-running star ran 14:06.62, improving on the previous world record by almost five seconds.
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