VALENCIA – Joshua Cheptegei has landed another record,-breaking a 10km road world record after an astonishing performance in Valencia Spain.
The Ugandan star has enjoyed his best-ever season in 2019 as he captured the world cross-country title in Aarhus, landed gold at the World Championships in Doha over 10,000m, and boasts the world-leading performance on the track with a 26:48:36 effort.
The highly decorated world champion becomes the first Ugandan to hold two world records, moving a step ahead of the legend John Akii Bua, and world record holder in the 400m Hurdles in 1972, according to the Independent.
En route to the 10km mark, Cheptegei also threatened the world 5km road record of 13:22 set by Kenya’s Robert Keter in Lille two weeks ago.
The 10K Valencia Trinidad Alfonso, was held in parallel with the Valencia Marathon. It is the last edition of this event in Valencia. That is why an attempt was made to set a new world record over this distance to mark the occasion.
The old record was held by the Kenyan runner Leonard Patrick Komon (26:44) in Utrecht on the 26th of September 2010.
The Ugandan athlete has said before the race: “I want to beat the world record in Valencia, Ciudad del Running. I know it is a very fast circuit and that it has an amazing Finish. That’s why I hope to make history in what will be the last edition of the 10K Valencia Trinidad Alfonso”.
Talking to BBC Sport, Cheptegei said, “What a year it has been. I can’t believe it. I knew that Valencia was going to be a really fast course, one of the fastest in the world. So to get to achieve what we came here for is something really special.”
He continued his rise in long-distance athletics by running the world’s fastest 15k in 41.05 minutes, taking 8 seconds off the previous mark set in 2010.
