Joshua Cheptegei, the reigning Olympic champion in the 10,000 meters at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, will not compete in the 5,000 meters in the French capital due to fatigue, in which he will defend the title won at Tokyo 2020, it was announced on Tuesday.
On social media, 27-year-old Cheptegei explained that it was a joint decision with his technical team to “not participate in the 5,000m”, a situation that was officially acknowledged by the Uganda Athletics Federation itself, noting that “it would have been impossible to recover in time after the tiring 10,000” played last Friday at the Stade de France.
“Your body needs more time to recover,” Uganda’s sports body said on social media.
At the 10,000m distance in Paris, Cheptegei won his first gold medal at the distance, setting a new Olympic record with a time of 26.43.14 minutes.
The Ugandan, who won silver in the 10,000m at Tokyo 2020, has therefore decided not to defend his 5,000m title.
The qualifiers begin on Wednesday, with the final scheduled for Saturday.