Jacob Kiplimo - the other Ugandan medal hope 

Jacob Kiplimo will be one of the most interesting runners to watch at the Tokyo Olympics. He's only 20 and already in his 2nd Olympics. This time around, he will be hoping to do much better than he did in Rio, where he wasn't even in the top 10 in the 5000m. He is in the form of his life and it is likely he will soon get much better than he already is at the moment.

Jacob Kiplimo - potential double medallist?

Jacob has already set the world's fastest time for a 10K in 2021, when he ran 26:33.93 at Ostrava in May 2021.

That puts him right up there with the best in the world for a chance at the podium at the Tokyo Olympics in the 10,000m event. He's now attempting to qualify for the 5,000m event as well, before the qualifying window ends in June 2021.

Jacob Kiplimo - the fearless racer

Even before Ostrava, he has shown he's a fearless racer at multiple events, despite his young age. Three such occasions were the World Cross Country Championships in 2019, the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland (October 2020) and Valencia half marathon (December 2020). All three events produced great running by deep competitive fields, including Jacob Kiplimo against some of the best Kenyan and Ethiopian runners.

At the World Cross Country Championships in 2019, Jacob Kiplimo was key to Uganda's maiden team gold medal as they stunned the Kenyans and Ethiopians. He won the individual silver, behind Joshua Cheptegei's amazing gold medal-winning effort.

Jacob Kiplimo won at Gdynia, beating the favorite Kibiwott Kandie of Kenya, but Kandie turned the tables on him at Valencia. If Kandie makes the Kenyan team for the 10,000m (which may not happen, given the incredible depth in Kenyan running talent), his battle with Jacob Kiplimo in Tokyo should be a treat to watch.

A lot of attention has rightfully been focussed on Joshua Cheptegei in 2020-2021, given his world records in both the 5,000 and the 10,000m events. Uganda doesn't have too many athletic stars at the Tokyo Olympics - 2012 London Olympics marathon gold medallist Stephen Kiprotich isn't currently in great form. Arguably the other star Ugandan at Tokyo, Jacob Kiplimo, who has voiced his disappointment with the support he has received till date, isn't too far behind Joshua Cheptegei.

Jacob Kiplimo + Joshua Cheptegei - tag team?

Jacob Kiplimo should be in contention for both the 10,000m and the 5,000m at Tokyo and is a firm favorite for the medals, given his recent form. In fact, taking a cue from the Kenyans and Ethiopians, he'd do well to tag-team with Joshua at Tokyo, to ensure both of them finish on the podium.

That'd be fantastic for the world of running and it would also boost support for running in Uganda, creating a possible third powerhouse in East African running.

Jacob Kiplimo - potential marathon star

Jacob Kiplimo still has many years of track racing ahead of him, and at least one other Olympics (after Tokyo) on the track, assuming he stays fit. However, given his outstanding performances at the half marathon, it is expected he will make his marathon debut in the near future. If and when that happens, he's likely to become a much bigger star than he is currently.

In the past, long distance running stars bided their time on the track and turned to the road only in the last phase of their careers. In the new millennium, the Dubai Marathon started dangling eye-popping and life-changing amounts as prize money plus bonuses and changed that trend. Now barely 20-something stars, especially from Ethiopia, have taken to the marathon directly. Some of them have tragically never found the form that they found in their debut races.

While Jacob Kiplimo hasn't run beyond a half marathon yet, given his background, there's a chance that he may take to the roads sooner. A lot more than just medals depends on what happens at Tokyo. Switching to the roads may not be a bad decision for him or the running world either, given that the marathon is also an Olympic event.

and Jacob Kiplimo - youngest Ugandan at Rio