ZURICH — Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei has won a golden medal in the men’s 5000m in Zurich, Switzerland.
Cheptegei finished the race in a record time 12:57.41 at the Diamond League.
A decision to stick with the pacers while the rest of the field chose to hang back paid off for Cheptegei in a big way as the Ugandan won the men’s 5,000m Diamond League crown in a 12:57.41 personal best.
Cheptegei’s sizable lead, which was 30-40 meters at its peak with just a few laps to go, had shrunk to a manageable gap with 400m to run for a pack of Ethiopians that included Selemon Barega, Hagos Gebrhiwet and Yomif Kejelcha, a trio who all ran in the 12:40s in last year’s Diamond League final.
But the trio waited too long to make their move and it cost each a shot at the $50,000 prize.
Gebrhiwet wound up second in 12:58.15, while Barega and Kejelcha faded to fifth and sixth, respectively.
Americans Paul Chelimo and Ben True were eighth and ninth in 13:14.18 and
13:18.27, respectively.
Joshua Cheptegei made nick history as debuted in the lucrative IAAF Diamond League Final— facing off withhis biggest test on track in nearly two years as he featured in the 5000m race.
