Why did world record holder Joshua Cheptegei withdraw from 5000m at the Paris Olympics? All about the Ugandan athlete's decision

Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo have withdrawn from the men's 5000m race at the Paris Olympics 2024. The two are some of the best middle-distance runners in history but have decided to skip the 5000m race and focus on other events.

Cheptegei and Kiplimo’s absence was earlier confirmed by the Uganda Athletics Federation, who cited a lack of recovery time from the 10,000m as the reason for their withdrawal. Cheptegei, who holds the world record for the distance, was crowned the Olympic champion earlier this week.

"We regret to inform the public that Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo have withdrawn from tomorrow’s 5,000m semi-finals due to recovery from the demanding 10,000m race. Their bodies need more time to recover. Consequently, Oscar Chelimo will represent us alone," they wrote.

Cheptegei, meanwhile, issued a statement through his Instagram account, saying that he and his team had decided to not compete in the 5000m event.

"I’m so proud of having won Olympic gold in the 10,000m. 🥇🇺🇬🦍. So proud for Uganda. After the world junior 10,000m title, three times the world 10,000m title, the world 10,000m record, this gold medal in an Olympic record time completes my collection. After discussing with my team, we’ve decided it’s best not to compete in the 5000m. Thanks everyone for the support, and see you soon!," he said.

Cheptegei is the defending Olympic champion event and holds the current world record as well. His Ugandan compatriot Jacob Kiplimo had started catching up to the Olympic champion in recent times and it was setting up for an exciting clash in the finals. However, with both withdrawing, the field will be more unpredictable now.

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Joshua Cheptegei breaks 10,000m world record to win Olympic gold medal

Joshua Cheptegei wins 10,000m gold at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 (Source: Getty)

Joshua Cheptegei ran a blistering 26:43.14 to break the Olympic record in the 10,000m at the Paris Olympics 2024. The previous record was held by distance running great Keninsa Bekele, who had run 27:07.17 at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Interestingly, it was Bekele’s 2008 Beijing Olympic run that inspired Cheptegei:

“It’s the dream of young people to achieve what they want to achieve in life. Barely 16 years ago when I was watching the great Kenenisa Bekele win in Beijing, it was something that grew in my heart. I said, 'one day, one time, I want to be Olympic champion.'”

The Ugandan had won silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and said after that he was disappointed with the outcome.