Uganda’s Inspector of Police, Joshua Cheptegei put behind the 2017 heartbreak in Kampala to snatch the World Cross Country Championships men’s 10km title from Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor on Saturday in Aarhus, Denmark.
Inspector of Police Joshua Cheptegei has won a Gold medal in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Denmark.
— Uganda Police Force (@PoliceUg) March 30, 2019
He is the first Ugandan male to win it. Kiplimo came second with Silver. pic.twitter.com/e11YKb1mGk
Having learnt his lesson in 2017 Kampala where he broke early, Cheptegei let fellow countryman Jacob Kiplimo do the donkey work from the front, and waited just before midway the last lap to break.
Joshua Cheptegei wins gold at World Cross Country Championship https://t.co/PmS0tDQihD #MonitorUpdates
— Daily Monitor (@DailyMonitor) March 30, 2019
Cheptegei, the Commonwealth 10,000m and 5,000m champion, cleared easily the last steep hill with Kiplimo in pursuit to win in 31 minutes and 40 seconds.
Kiplimo, 18, managed to hold off Kamworor to take silver in 31:44 as the Kenyan – who won in 2015 Guiyang, China and 2017 Kampala, Uganda – settled for bronze in 31:55.
Commonwealth champion Joshua Cheptegei bought land and has started constructing a track and hostels in Teryet, Kapchorwa. The project cost him over UGX 1B and says he cant wait on government to fulfill their promises coz athletes are always in a race against time. pic.twitter.com/BN8fJ88kgA
— joel khamadi (@Joel_Khamadi) March 27, 2019
In 2017 Kampala, Cheptegei led the race till midway in the last lap before going out of strength to finish a distant 30th.