Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei wins 5000m Olympic gold

Cheptegei, the world record holder over the 5,000m, won silver behind Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega in the 10,000m final on the opening day of the athletes programme in Tokyo.

Canada’s Mohammed Ahmed took silver in 12:58.61 while USA’s Paul Chelimo completed the podium with the bronze medal in 12:59.05.

Kenya’s sole representative in the 5000m final, Nicholas Kimeli, was out-sprinted by the medallists in the homestraight, to finish fourth in 12:59.19.

The historic win made Cheptegei the first Ugandan to win the event as he bagged the Olympic gold that has eluded him.

Kenyan-born Chelimo dived at the finish line to secure bronze in front of Kimeli of Kenya.

Great Britain’s Farah — who achieved the ‘double double’ of 5,000 and 10,000m at the 2012 and 2016 Games — failed to qualify for the Games.

Farah had switched back to the track after originally targeting the marathon.

Cheptegei, though, has clearly assumed the mantle, even though he slipped up tactically in the 10,000m last Friday.

He and team-mate Jacob Kiplimo alternated in taking the field along and this time their tactics worked a treat.

Kimeli and Ethiopian Milkesa Mengesha shadowed whichever Ugandan took up the pace and were ready to pounce.

However, Mengesha’s decision to take the lead with around 500 metres to go prompted Cheptegei to take control and the Ethiopian’s challenge quickly faded and he finished 10th.

Cheptegei led down the back straight, with Kimeli giving chase, and it was the 22-year-old Kenyan who looked the most threatening as they rounded the bend to hit the finishing straight.

However, Cheptegei was in no mood to concede and he strode away, with Ahmed running on late to add silver to his world bronze from 2019.

Chelimo just managed to get the better of the unfortunate Kimeli, the 30-year-old Kenyan-born naturalised American adding Olympic bronze to his silver in Rio five years ago.