In what could be argued as the most gruelling track race of the Olympic Games, the 10,000m, it was an incredible battle in the men’s final, as the reigning Olympic champion, reigning world champion and current world record holder were all in the lineup at the Stade de France to fight for the coveted Olympic gold medal.
Taking the fastest 10,000m race in the history of the Olympic Games was Uganda’s world record holder, Joshua Cheptegei, in a time of 26:43.14.
With a pool of runners that was unprecedentedly quick, the first 13 finishers all came in under the previous Olympic record, which, before Friday night, had held true since 2008.
“I can’t describe the feeling. I’ve wanted this for a long time. When I took silver in Tokyo 2020, I was disappointed. I just wanted to win the 10,000m,” Cheptegei said after the race.
It will be out with a bang for the Ugandan runner, who said that this is his last race on the track before he turns his attention to something much longer: the marathon.
Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi took the silver medal, just 0.3 seconds behind Cheptegei, after he and his Ethiopian teammates held the lead for much of the race.
“We had a team strategy to push the pace and we showed great teamwork. I am very sad we did not achieve the gold medal as a team,” Aregawi said.
But he was thrilled to have bestest his fourth-place finish from Tokyo 2020, saying: “I was running for my country and I want to dedicate this silver medal to my country.”
USA’s Grant Fisher took the bronze medal, 0.02 behind Aregawi.
“It means so much. You’ve got to be tough to win a medal. I made it today and it feels incredible,” he said after the race.
“The biggest stadium I’ve ever been in was Tokyo and that one was dead silent,” he added, referring to the Games in 2021, when pandemic restrictions did not allow for typical crowds.
“This was so, so different. From the first lap, the crowd was screaming. I couldn’t hear anything the entire race. The 10,000m doesn’t get a lot of love sometimes, but that crowd made it feel like we were the best show in town. It was super fun. It was a fast, fast pace. I felt like I was in a good position the whole way and just gave it everything with a lap to go.”
Reigning Olympic champion Selemon Barega of Ethiopia missed the podium to take seventh place in 26:44.48.
