Cheptegei races for first time since Paris Gold

Joshua Cheptegei bowed out of competitive long-distance running on track in style by winning the 10000-metre title during the Paris Olympics in France on August 2.

The nation felt he should have attempted to retain his 5000-metre Olympic crown but Cheptegei had already closed his book.

The 10-year dominance on track is over and Cheptegei is officially onto a new territory: road running.

Some 51 days after Paris, Cheptegei will on Sunday embark on the road business for the second part of his career when he lines-up for the Dam tot Damloop race in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

This will mark his fourth appearance at this 10-mile event in career after finishing ninth in 2014, second in 2016 and winning it in 2018.

And the goal has never been clearer for the 27-year-old man who holds the 5000-metre and 10000-metre world records.

“My target is to just get back to the world of racing, especially road races and be able to win the race,” Cheptegei told this paper before departing for the Dutch capital.

“It’s only about the win,” his coach Addy Ruiter emphasized. Cheptegei last year made his full 42km debut but it was a hefty task after he finished 37th at the Valencia Marathon in Spain.

For a second marathon, Ruiter and Cheptegei’s management Global Sports Communication (GSC) are planning in phases and the race in Amsterdam is the first layer of that foundation.

Realistically, Cheptegei must attempt to qualify the marathon final for the Tokyo World Athletics Championships which comes on the morning of September 15, 2025 in the Japanese capital.

That implies Cheptegei must run a 42km race at the start of next year, with the goal of posting under two hours, six minutes and 30 seconds.

Before that, the 16.1km race on a largely flat course from Amsterdam to Zaandam starts him off before a half-marathon comes.

Cheptegei’s 2018 winning time of 45:15 in Zaandam remains his personal best over the distance and any successful attempt to beat it will bode well with his progress.

DAM TOT DAMLOOP NOTEBOOK

Date: Second-last Sunday of September (September 22, 2024) 

Location: From Amsterdam to Zaandam

Event type: Road

Distance: 10 miles (16.1 km)

Established: 1985

Last held: 2023

Course record: Men’s: 44:27 (2011) by Kenyan Leonard Komon

CHEPTEGEI AT A GLANCE

Date of birth: September 12, 1996

Major Races: Half-Marathon, Marathon

Personal Bests: 21km (59:21), 42km (2:08:59)

Coach: Addy Ruiter

Manager: Jurrie van der Velden

Kit Sponsor: Nike

CHEPTEGEI IN 2024

Aug 2: Paris Olympics 10000m Final (1st, 26:43.14)

May 30: Bislett Games 5000m (9th, 12:51.94)

May 17: LA Grand Prix 5000m (3rd, 12:52.38)

Mar 30: World X-Country (6th, 28:24)

Mar 16: Laredo 10K (2nd, 25:53)

CHEPTEGEI IN 2023

Dec 3: Valencia Marathon (37th, 2:08:59)

Aug 20: Budapest Worlds 10000m Final (1st, 27:51.42)

June 30: Lausanne DL (2nd, 12:41.61)

Jun 2: Florence DL (4th, 12:53.81)

Mar 19: New York Half-Marathon (2nd, 1:02:09)

Feb 18: World X-Country (3rd, 29:37)

CHEPTEGEI IN 2022

Dec 31: NN San Silvestre 10K (1st, 27:09)

Jul 24: Oregon Worlds 5000m Final (9th, 13:13.12)

Jul 21: Oregon Worlds 5000m Heat 1 (4th, 13:24.47)

Jul 17: Oregon Worlds 10000m Final (1st, 27:27.43)

May 27: Prefontaine Classic 5000m (1st, 12:57.99)

Mar 6: Cannes 10K (1st, 26:49)