Ugandan athlete Joshua Cheptegei completed the 5,000m range at the Wanda Diamond League after 12 minutes 35 seconds 36, 2 seconds faster than the old world record.
Joshua Cheptegei set the world record for running 5000m
Cheptegei set a record at the Wanda Diamond League athletics tournament in Monaco on August 14. The previous record stood for 16 years, set by Kenenisa Bekele on the track in 2004.
Achievement of Cheptegei at Diamon League
In Monaco, Cheptegei, born in 1996, has the support of three heart rate monitors and a navigation light system. He quickly got ahead from the start, finished his first 3,000m in 7 minutes 35 seconds, and was away from chasing position by 18 seconds.
Running Magazine describes the Ugandan runner showing a confident and leisurely manner during the race. The last lap, Joshua Cheptegei took just 59.64 seconds. Even when he reached the finish line, he calmly turned off the watch on his hand, there was no sign of exhaustion. Before setting a world record, Cheptegei also held the 5,000m record on the road also set in Monaco in February.
This year’s Wanda Diamond League athletics tournament attracted the participation of the top 15 runners in the world. This is one of the rare big runs taking place from the beginning of the year until now after many other activities were canceled due to the influence of Covid-19.
Joshua Cheptegei’s record set two seconds faster than Kenenisa Bekele’s performance in 2004. At that time, Bekele was only 21 years old, younger than the current Cheptegei. This Ethiopian runner will have a much-awaited showdown with Eliud Kipchoge next October at the London Marathon. Previously, the London Marathon 2020 tried to lengthen its decision on canceling the race or not.
Both of these long-distance running stars will meet at the London Marathon 2020 on October 4 in the UK. Kipchoge currently holds the marathon world record (2:01:39), while Bekele is only 2 seconds behind when the 2:01:41 record is established at the Berlin Marathon 2019, the run that Kipchoge has set. the correct world record one year earlier.