The Ugandan medalist long-distance runner, Joshua Cheptegei has become the third athlete in world history to win the three consecutive 25-lap world titles.

This comes after Cheptegei’s competitive dominance in the men’s 10000m finals to win gold at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.

Cheptegei has had an injury-hit year and struggled to hit his top form but, on a hot, humid night in Budapest, he broke clear approaching the bell and stamped his authority over the field with a 53-second last lap to come home in 27:51.42.

On the same Sunday night of August 20, 2023, Daniel Simiu Ebenyo from Uganda’s neighbor Kenya bagged silver and Selemon Barega of Ethiopia won bronze.

The Ugandan runner who has the 10,000m and 5000m records, had previously in 2022, in the Oregon race and Doha in 2019, won gold.

Cheptegei’s victory in Budapest is a confirmation of the statement he made on the day of their flagging off at the NCS headquarters that his sights are not just on Budapest but also on the horizon that lies beyond Paris 2024.