Ugandan Cheptegei Wins Olympic Gold in Thrilling 10,000-Meter Final
In a dominating performance, Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda took the lead with less than a lap to go and won the Olympic gold medal in the 10,000 meters at the Stade de France, setting an Olympic record of 26 minutes, 43.14 seconds.
Cheptegei, the world-record holder, was in the middle of a strung-out pack for most of the 25 laps on a calm, cool evening outside of Paris. He then took off around the curve and held the lead over the final 500 meters against a crowd of Ethiopians who set a blistering pace all night.
Ethiopian Berihu Aregawi finished second, and American Grant Fisher won bronze, marking the first time the U.S. has medaled in the event since Galen Rupp took silver in 2012.
Cheptegei’s win earned him $50,000, a new prize for Olympic track this year, and the chance to ring the bell at the end of the stadium, reserved only for newly crowned Olympic champions. This adds to his silver medal in Tokyo and his world titles in 2019, 2022, and 2023.
In other track and field action, Sifan Hassan, the iron woman from the Netherlands, finished second in the first round of the 5,000 meters and plans to run in the 10,000 meters and marathon at the Olympics. Hassan became the first person to win medals in the 1,500, 5,000, and 10,000 meters at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
The U.S. mixed 4×400 meter relay team set a world record in one of track’s newest events, finishing the four laps in 3 minutes, 7.41 seconds. The team of Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, and Kaylyn Brown placed the Americans in Saturday’s final, where the record will be in jeopardy again.
Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs of the U.S. advanced to the shot put final, giving them a chance to finish 1-2-3 for the third straight Games. Crouser, who has been dealing with an elbow injury this year, needed only one throw to advance with a mark of 21.49 meters.
Jasmine Moore, the first American woman to qualify for the Olympics in both the triple jump and the long jump, kept her work to a minimum, needing just one jump to lock down her spot in the triple jump finals.
