Joshua Cheptegei settled for the fastest time in the 5000m this year, posting a respectable 12:57.99 early this morning at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon.

The fastest time in history will have to wait for another day.

Cheptegei thought it was on so the attempt was advertised and aided by event organisers, who set up a special race for it, separate from the one that will have Diamond League points.

But the Ugandan superstar was not able to come good on expectations. In fact, he did not really threaten his 5000m record, which is more than 20 seconds faster than his finishing time.

Cheptegei did at least post a faster time than what he needed to win 5000m gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

And with the IAAF World Athletics Championships less than two months away, Cheptegei can be further pleased with his performance in his first 5000m race of the year, even if it fell short of the world record.