Paris 2024 Olympics: Uganda’s Cheptegei will not defend his 5,000 metres title, focuses on recovery

Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, who won gold in the 10,000 metres last week, will not defend his 5,000 title as he focuses on recovery, Uganda’s athletics federation said on Tuesday.

The withdrawal means Cheptegei will not have a shot at becoming the third man in history to win back-to-back Olympic golds in the 5,000 after Lasse Viren and Mo Farah.

Cheptegei was scheduled to compete in the 5,000 qualifiers on Wednesday at 11:10 a.m. local time (0910 GMT).

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Twice world cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo also withdrew from the race, according to the federation.

“Their bodies need more time to recover. Consequently, Oscar Chelimo will represent us alone,” it said in a post on X.

Cheptegei, 27, on Friday claimed the 10,000 gold he had dreamed of to upgrade his Tokyo silver, having won world titles in 2022 and 2023. Kiplimo finished eighth.