First lady congratulates Joshua Cheptegei

The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Janet Museveni, has congratulated Uganda's sports hero, Joshua Cheptegei, for setting a new 5,000 metres world record. President Yoweri Museveni also on Friday sent out his congratulations in a tweet: "@KagutaMuseveni.

‘Congratulations to @ joshuacheptegei who has set a new 5,000m world record at the #MonacoDL. You have brought honour, pride and joy to your country. Well done!" In a message released to the media over the weekend, Mrs Museveni said: ‘‘I salute all Ugandans upon young Joshua Cheptegei winning for us the World Athletics 5,000m track race at the 2020 Monaco Diamond League on 14.08.2020.

We should thank God always for all our success and pray for His protection and more achievements. I informed Joshua and his colleagues when I was flagging them off last Friday that I would be praying for their well-being and success.

God has answered our prayers. My salutations go to Joshua Cheptegei and his team of athletes that represented our country with dignity and excellence in Monaco, their coach Addy Ruiter and his colleagues, Uganda Athletics Federation, sports officials and stakeholders.

The Government of Uganda will continue to support sports development from skills development, talent identification, nurturing and elite sports performance, through programmes in schools and educational institutions, as well as supporting national sports federations' development capacity, among others. Congratulations to all Ugandans, Uganda athletes and sportspersons and my thanks to them for upholding Uganda's name and positive image among the global community of nations.

We must also congratulate and thank the President, H.E Yoweri Museveni, and the Government for always supporting sports, especially in these very difficult times, and for ensuring that our world champions could travel to Monaco. We thank God for the gift He has given to us through these athletes."

CHEPTEGEI RETURNS TO UGANDA

Uganda's celebrated athlete, Joshua Cheptegei yesterday returned home from Monaco arriving in the country through the Malaba border post. Cheptegei won and broke the world record in the men's 5000m event during the Diamond League Athletics Meeting at The Louis II Stadium in Monaco on Friday.

Cheptegai was received at Malaba customs border by  he Tororo Deputy Resident District commissioner, Yahaya Were, together with customs and security officials. He travelled from Nairobi Kenya by road in a convoy that was led by a diplomatic police car after jetting in at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Cheptegei arrived aboard Turkish Airlines at 3:00am on Sunday, a day after breaking a 16-year-old record previously held by Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele. Cheptegei clocked 12:35:36 smashing the standing 12:37.35 in a breathtaking solo performance. There was no merrymaking following his arrival.

Some of the officials only learnt of his arrival after he had been driven off to his home area in Sebei sub-region in the escort of Yahaya. Cheptegei spent less than 30 minutes awaiting certification of his coronavirus certificate by the Malaba border port health service head Maj. Denis Turyagyenda.

‘‘I have taken my career to the next level and it is a big boost a head of the next year's Olympic Games. I thank officials of the high commission for the good gesture extended to me,'' he told journalists.