International Sport
One of Luis Grijalva’s main rivals drops out of the 5,000 meters in Paris 2024
Cheptegei, the Olympic champion in the 5,000 metres in Tokyo, has withdrawn from competing in Paris 2024, leaving the list of candidates for the title open.
Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei won the men’s 10,000-meter final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Photo Prensa Libre: AFP)
The Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei, Olympic champion of 10 thousand meters in Paris, has decided to give up running the 5,000 due to the need for rest after the effort of the first race and will not be eligible to defend the gold medal of the distance achieved at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Cheptegei, who had planned to defend the Olympic 5,000m crown he won in Tokyo three years ago, has given up competing in Paris and is opening the field of contenders for the title in Paris.
“I am very proud to have won Olympic gold “I am very proud of Uganda. After the Junior World Championships, three world titles and the world record, this gold medal with an Olympic record completes my collection,” Cheptegei said on his social media.
“After speaking with my team, we have decided that it is best for me not to compete in the 5,000 meters. Thank you all for the support and we will see you soon,” he concluded.
The Ugandan Federation later announced that, apart from Cheptegei, Jacob Kiplimo, who was eighth in the 10,000 metres at the Paris Games, will not be running the 5,000 metres either.
Uganda’s only representative in the 5,000 will be Oscar Chelimo.
Cheptegei’s absence from the 5,000m event opens the door for a new crop of talented athletes to claim Olympic medal glory.
One of these athletes looking to make history and obtain the desired medal in Paris is Guatemalan Luis Grijalva, who was placed 12th in Tokyo 2020.
Three years later, Grijalva is a more experienced and mature athlete, at the perfect stage of his career to aspire to Olympic glory.
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