By Our Reporter
Gold medalist Joshua Cheptegei has hailed fellow Ugandan athlete Jacob Kiplimo, who set a new World League record of 7:26:64 in the men’s 3000m final, during the IAAF Diamond League competition on Thursday night, at the Olympic stadium in Rome.
Kiplimo’s recent victory comes a week after an exceptional record-breaking performance at the 59th Ostrava Golden Spike in the Czech Republic, where he set a new meet record over the 5000m distance after clocking 12:48.63.
Kiplimo’s record in Rome over the seven-and-a-half-lap distance broke Australia’s Ryan Gregson’s meet record of 7:42.19, thereby lifting the Ugandan flag onto the world map and screens across the globe.
Following Kiplimo’s victory, Cheptegei has since joined many Ugandans to send out congratulations to him upon his great achievements.
Cheptegei tweeted thus; “Huge congratulations to my colleague Jacob kiplimo upon running the 6th fastest all time over 3000m in Rome with a time of 7:26, running a world lead, national record, the future is indeed bright.
Let’s carry this momentum unto next year’s Olympic games.”
Cheptegei made yet another emphatic step into history by shattering the 5,000 meter men’s record at the Monaco Diamond League August this year.
The Uganda Police officer clocked 12 minutes 35.36 beating Kenenisa Bekele’s mark of 12:37.35 set in 2004.
Cheptegei was in charge running within the 60.5 minute time required to set the new mark for most of the 12.5 lap race in 2020’s opening Diamond League event.
His fastest laps came in 59.64 and 59.64 runs in a race that had Kenya’s Nicholas Kimeli steadily fading backwards in second position in the Stade Louis II arena.
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