Kenya’s wait for 10,000m Olympic Games gold continues as athletes flop in Paris Olympics

Kenya’s wait for gold medal in men’s 10,000 metres final is sure to stretch to 60 years after the country’s athletes flopped at the Paris Olympic Games on Friday night.

Three-time world 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei,  became the first Ugandan man to win the Olympic 10,000m title on Friday, making a decisive move just before the bell and staying to the front before treating fans to awe-inspiring performance in Paris .

Cheptegei, who had claimed silver medal in the same race at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before capturing the 5,000m gold medal, claimed the victory in style, shattering the Olympic Record in a new time of 26 minutes and 43.14 seconds.

The 27-year-old Uganda, who is also the reigning 10,000m world record holder, erased the previous Olympic Record time of 27:01.17 set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by Ethiopian distance legend Kenenisa Bekele.

None of the three Kenyans  - Bernard Kibet, Daniel Mateiko and Nicholas Kimeli - made it to the podium, further showing how Kenya had fallen down the pecking order. The performance summed up a somber night for Kenya, as the country failed to win a medal in the race for the third consecutive time.

Kenya will now go back to the drawing board and strategise for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The late Naftali Temu was the first and last Kenyan to win the Olympics 10,000m gold at the 1968 Mexico City Summer Games. 

Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi rallied from behind to snatch silver from Grant Fisher from the United States of America on the line. Aregawi timed 26:43.44 as Fisher won his major silverware, settling for bronze in 26:43.46.

Kibet was the first Kenyan across the line in fifth place in personal best 26:43.98, Mateiko clocked 26:50.83 for 11th as Kimeli came 14th in 27:23.97.