Cheptegei urged to retain world cross-country title

Feb 06, 2023

Njia says: “Cheptegei can still dominate the course and emerge victorious and also go ahead to win more races en route to becoming one of the biggest in history.”

Country’s greatest athlete of all time, Joshua Cheptegei. File photo

Javier Silas Omagor
Journalist @New Vision

Athletics coach Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Benjamin Njia has urged the country’s greatest athlete of all time, Joshua Cheptegei, to defend his World Cross Country Championships title.

 In his latest exclusive interview as the team prepares for the trip to Australia to participate in the championship, Njia says: “Cheptegei can still dominate the course and emerge victorious and also go ahead to win more races en route to becoming one of the biggest in history.”

Having missed the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games among a couple of competitions owing to nagging injuries and personal engagements, Cheptegei has bounced back.

 The world champion is looking sharp, angry and hungry for victory yet again ahead of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships 2023.

 Often referred to as the ‘blue ribbon’ of distance running, the Championships represent one of the most demanding events in all of athletics.

 With the likes of Stella Chesang, his compatriot having bagged victories (2018 Commonwealth Games gold medal) on Australian soil before, the senior-ranking police officer will hope to ride on that luck when he comes up against the best of the best. 

Navigation of challenging sections

Cheptegei and his competitors will need to navigate several challenging sections, including the tough uphill start, the Billabong, vineyard and even the fast downhill stretch to the finish.

 What is more is that Australia’s iconic Mount Panorama will now form the backdrop of the competition’s return to Oceania, where the circuit’s demanding infield will decide who reigns supreme.

 Njia says Team Uganda’s captain is unfazed by the course.

 “Our normal training programme features all these hurdles and course structures, which Joshua interfaces with daily. As long as his body logs in well into the weather there, I strongly believe he will be unstoppable once again,” Njia says.

 27 athletes have qualified

Njia, who doubles as Cheptegei’s club trainer at Police, says: “If all factors remain constant, Joshua will attempt to defend his title.”

Currently residing at Trinity Biblical Institute (TBI) national training camp, the Kapchorwa district-born athlete is among the 27 athletes who qualified to represent Uganda at the coveted championships.

 At the previous edition (2019), Cheptegei shared the podium with national teammate Jacob Kiplimo, 22, who stylishly clinched the silver medal after overpowering Kenya’s, Geoffrey Kamworor.

 Come February 18, it remains to be seen if Cheptegei will respond to Njia’s assertion and vindicate his tactician.

 Similarly, in his interview before and after the 2021 NN Valencia World Record Day Championship in Spain, Cheptegei declared his intention of becoming the world’s greatest runner ever and he justified his resolute by breaking the 10km world record after running 26:11.00, to dismantle the 26:17.53 Bekele ran in 2005.

 Since then, Cheptegei has given himself a proper chance to become a GOAT by winning double gold (5km and 10km) at the Olympics Tokyo, and 2022 World Athletics Championships gold (10km).

 Most recently, the 26-year-old added to his thrilling runaway success, the 10K San Valencia marathon gold.

 Nothing is certain about how many more titles Cheptegei still has to win in what is already an incredible career, but what is clear is that the World Cross Country Championships 2023 is his closest goal at the moment.

It is as physical a test as it is mental, with medals awarded to the winners of the mixed relay (8km), the Under-20 women’s race (6km), the Under-20 men’s race (8km), and the aforementioned senior races (both 10km).

 Cheptegei will be competing in his favourite 10-kilometre senior men's category.

 

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