Why Cheptegei is Uganda’s sports personality of 2021

January 14, 2022

In all measures, sports lovers will in unison agree that world record holder, Joshua Cheptegei carried the 2021 sporting year, courtesy of his exploits.

Having triumphed in 2020 where he was also nominated for the prestigious Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year 2020, Cheptegei reciprocated his achievements in the year 2021 putting up a fine display of talent.

During the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics games held in August 2021, the 25-year-old showed he is still a force to reckon with when it comes to athletics.

The long-distance runner won Uganda the elusive gold medal in the men’s 5000m finals at the Games held in the Japanese capital.

Clocking a time of 12:58:15, Cheptegei beat Canada’s Mohammed Ahmed who came second with a time of 12:58:61 and USA’s Paul Chelimo’s 12:59:05 in the third position and ensured that he won a gold medal that had eluded Uganda for nine years at the Olympics games.

Uganda had last won a gold medal during the London Olympics games, thanks to Stephen Kiprotich.

By winning at the 2020 Olympics games, Cheptegei ensured Uganda achieved its fourth gold medal at the games since 1956.

The runner also bagged silver during the men’s 10,000m race at the Tokyo games.

At a function organized to reward the Olympians by telecom company MTN Uganda, the 25-year-old Ugandan runner showed class again when he donated one of his medals to Stephen Kiprotich to thank him for providing inspiration.

The runner said since he expects to get another medal during the forthcoming Olympics games in Paris in 2024, it was prudent that he gave out the medal.

The 5000m world champion also gave away part of his Shs 75 million cash prize money received from MTN to fellow athletes.

More victory

The long distance runner was at it again when he claimed victory in the Men’s two-mile race at the Prefontaine Classic Meet of the Diamond League in Eugene, Oregon.

In what seemed a battled of Olympic gold medalists, the Ugandan runner defeated Ethiopian long- distance runner Selemon Barega, running a world-leading time of 8:09.55 whereas the Ethiopian clocked a time of 8:09.82.

“It(winning) really means a lot to me to win here in Oregon and it will always be in my heart,” Cheptegei said after the race.

The performance also saw the runner nominated for the Male Athlete of the Year award in the World Athletics Awards.

The world record holder was nominated alongside Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya), Ryan Crouser (USA), Mondo Duplantis (Sweden), Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway), Daniel Stahl (Sweden), Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece), Pedro Pichardo (Portugal), Damian Warner (Canada) and Karsten Warholm (Norway).

He further triumphed when he made it to the top five nominees.

The runner also reinvigorated efforts to complete the construction of his training facility in Kapchorwa district.

He launched a fundraising drive for Shs1.7 billion to complete the facility that will benefit young athletes.

Other achievements

Cheptegei was also named as Uganda’s tourism ambassador by the Uganda Tourism Board.

As such, he was appointed as the face of Uganda’s rich tourism diversity including the iconic mountain gorillas, source of the Nile, snow on the peak of Africa’s third highest mountain, Rwenzori and tree-climbing lions among others.

In appreciation for his exploits that raised the Ugandan flag high on the world scene, the Uganda Police Force promoted Cheptegei to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police.

Cheptegei climaxed the year with a decoration held at the Police headquarters in Naguru.

He was also given Shs 20 million as a token of appreciation for his 2021 achievements.