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Chelimo hopes for medal luck
Chelimo is Uganda's lone competitor in the 5000m race. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
Cheptegei’s withdrawal and his decision to quit track after winning the 10000-metre gold medal eight days ago plus Peruth Chemutai’s 3000-metre steeplechase silver medal mean that no Ugandan has ever successfully defended an Olympic title.
PARIS, FRANCE. Uganda’s chances for a medal in the men’s 5000-metre event at the Paris Olympics reduced greatly by 67 percent after defending champion Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo opted out.
Cheptegei’s withdrawal and his decision to quit track after winning the 10000-metre gold medal eight days ago plus Peruth Chemutai’s 3000-metre steeplechase silver medal mean that no Ugandan has ever successfully defended an Olympic title.
And the next chance for that can only come at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics in Queensland, Australia. Where will you be? That’s big food for thought.
But back to Paris, only Oscar Chelimo was left to compete in the men’s 12-and-a-half-lap race here in the French capital. He found no trouble making it through Wednesday morning’s Heat 2 via fifth place for Saturday's final.
This is the second straight time that Chelimo has reached an Olympic final for the 5000m. “I am very happy to qualify,” he reacted on Friday after posting 13 minutes and 52.46 seconds after a relatively slow race.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Japan three years ago, Chelimo finished 16th and last in the race final won by Cheptegei on August 6, 2021.
Chelimo worked on his speed and in 2022, he won the bronze medal coming from nine places behind during the Oregon World Athletics Championships at the Hayward Field in Eugene, USA.
Last year, Chelimo struggled to overcome muscle problems and inevitably failed to compete favourably at the Budapest Worlds in Hungary. “Sometimes you fall down, you wake up,” he reacted.
“My target for this Olympics is to do the best for myself and for the country. I will not promise but I will do my best.
He will line-up in a field of 22 men under the night lights of the Stade de France. “The final is like all other events but it is only the pressure of the gold.
“And this Olympics is after every four years so when it goes, you wait for four years. Everyone is targeting now it depends on who has the luck to get the medal. I am hoping to have luck because we are many,” added Chelimo.
The 22-year-old will battle for the podium in company of 2024’s fastest man Hagos Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia who on May 30 won at the Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway in a time of 12:36.73, the second fastest in history.
World champion Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen is looking to make up for a medal miss in the 1500m by winning the race tonight.
However, world bronze medalist Kenyan Jacob Krop, Olympic 10000m bronze medalist American Grant Fisher, Ethiopians Biniam Mehary and Addisu Yihune, Refugee Olympic Team’s Dominic Lobalu will want otherwise.
PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS - MEN’S 5000M HEAT 2 RESULT
1 Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 13:51.59
2 Biniam Mehary (ETH) 13:51.82
3 Isaac Kimeli (BEL) 13:52.18
4 Grant Fisher (USA) 13:52.44
5 Oscar Chelimo (UGA) 13:52.46
TEAM UGANDA SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, AUG 10 - DAY 17
9am: Victor Kiplangat, Stephen Kissa & Andrew Kwemoi (Men’s Marathon Final)
8.05pm: Men’s 800m Final
8.50pm: Oscar Chelimo (Men’s 5000m Final)
SUNDAY, AUG 11 - DAY 18
9am: Mercyline Chelangat, Stella Chesang & Rebecca Chelangat (Women’s Marathon Final)
UGANDAN 5000M MALE RUNNERS AT OLYMPICS
Tokyo 2020: Joshua Cheptegei (1st, 12:58.15), Jacob Kiplimo (5th, 13:02.40), Oscar Chelimo (16th, 13:44.45)
Rio 2016: Joshua Cheptegei (8th, 13:09.17), Phillip Kipyeko (Heat 2 11th, 13:24.66), Jacob Kiplimo (Heat 1 11th, 13:30.40)
London 2012: Moses Kipsiro (15th, 13:52.25), Abraham Kiplimo (Heat 2 15th, 13:31.57), Geoffrey Kusuro (Heat 1 18th, 13:59.74)
Beijing 2008: Moses Kipsiro (4th, 13:10.56), Geoffrey Kusuro (Heat 1 11th, 13:50.50)
Mexico City 1968: Mustafa Musa (Heat 2 9th, 15:10.2)
