Expect more from the Kiplimo v Cheptegei rivalry

Joshua Cheptegei might have missed out on a World Half Marathon podium finish, but expect to see more battles between him and fellow Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo.

Kiplimo on Saturday produced an outstanding final five kilometre performance to become the first Ugandan to win the world 21km event.

Cheptegei, fresh from three world records, had gone to Poland's city of Gdynia as favourite only to finish in fourth place.

Cheptegei could have easily given Kiplimo a run for his money but his world record runs, the last coming a week before Gdniya in the 10,000m, had visibly had their toll.

But that does not rub away what is steadily growing into one of the world's biggest sporting rivalries.

In many ways, it evokes memories of the Ben Johnson v Carl Lewis, Carl Lewis v Mike Powel, Seb Coe v Steve Ovett or Eliud Kipchoge v Kenenenisa Bekele.

These are rivalries that not only lit up athletics but were also trendsetters.

So intense is the Cheptegei v Kiplimo rivalry that it could also become a key factor in Uganda's performance on the international sports scene.

With Cheptegei at 24 and Kiplimo at 19, the duo is not only in the same competition age bracket but is also set to dominate for a long time.

Cheptegei is not only a three-time world record holder but he is also a favourite for a historic 5000 and 10000 meter double at the Tokyo Olympics.

Kiplimo on the other hand is just fresh from an equally scintillating track performance.

Competing as one of the youngest teenagers in the crème de crème he then capped it up with the world half marathon title at the weekend.

While some in the Uganda Athletics Federation see the competition negatively, the new trend should be embraced as it does away with the comfort zone.

Fruits of this competition include the 2019 World Cross-Country gold and silver finish for Uganda.

It was a stiff battle throughout on a tough Danish course in Aarhus as Cheptegei and Kiplimo obliterated a tough Geoffrey Kamworor-led Kenyan opposition.

Cheptegei won his first world cross-country gold as Kiplimo took silver exactly a year after winning Uganda's first-ever gold.

As the world this season focused on Cheptegei, Kiplimo also went about his build-up consistently but more quietly.

He was nevertheless in sensational form, clocking a world-leading Ugandan record of 7:26.64 for 3000m in Rome and setting a 5000m PB of 12:48.63 in Ostrava.

His last clash with Cheptegei had prior to Saturday been at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships, where he shared the lead for much of the way before finishing second behind his compatriot.

Before that, however, he had comfortably beaten Cheptegei at the Ugandan Cross Country Championships and the Cross Internacional de Italica in Seville earlier that year.

Kiplimo went to Gdynia, Poland with a slight advantage over Cheptetei of having previously contested a half marathon; he ran 1:01:53 at altitude in MTN Kampala Marathon at the end of last year, winning by more than a minute.

But Kiplimo's team-mate Cheptegei still commanded the spotlight going to Poland with three world records to his name. Who could have been a better favourite?