When the young Joshua Cheptegei lost his steam and faded 30th at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships, Kololo grounds hence missing out on becoming the first Ugandan to win the title, at that time it felt like, there would never be light at the end of his tunnel. 

Following that agonizing near miss, in his own words, Joshua Cheptegei described the incident in an interview with Olympics.com news “ I never wanted to get out of my house so that I do not meet people”. 

Seven years on, Cheptegei is a three-time 10,000m world champion from 2019, 2022, and 2023 in Budapest, Hungary, the reigning Olympic Champion in the 5000 metres and the world record holder for both 5000m and 10,000m.

To be more specific, he has won 11 medals in less than six years and still winning more. We are talking about someone who did not want to be seen in 2017 but now literally every Ugandan wants to form a telepathic connection with Joshua Cheptegei.

Closing the line in 27:51.42 on Sunday in the men’s 10,000m finals as the winner at the 2023 IAAF World Athletics Championships, Joshua Cheptegei sent a strong message to his fellow competitors like Selemon Barega who has been a close rival, that regardless of what they do, he will always find a way of winning. 

Joshua CHEPTEGEI’s hattrick of 10,000-meter titles is indicative of a freak athlete with a freak mental strength and a transformation that has been nothing less spectacular. 

When you have been consistent at the elite level, breaking records and surpassing legends of the sport, it is inevitable to stop winning. Joshua Cheptegei has always expressed his confidence before any major event that he established himself among the big men and has what it takes to topple them. 

That can not be a lie. As he takes his strides on Sunday 27, to chase a double in the men’s 5000 metres, one thing will be clinging his Cheptegei’s mind, “ I have done this before, and I can still do it”.

The official world record in the men’s 5000 metres is held by Joshua Cheptegei with 12:35.36 for men. In second and third position is Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebrselassie with 12:37.35, 12:39.36 respectively.

To win on Sunday, Cheptegei will have to do another carefully constructed jigsaw to outsmart the likes of Berihu Aregawi, Yomif Kejelcha who pipped Jacob Kiplimo for gold in the Olso Diamond league meeting.