Olympic 10,000m champion, Joshua Cheptegei, and world record holder for the half marathon, Jacob Kiplimo, have withdrawn from the 5,000m race due Wednesday 7th August 2024 in Paris, France.
“We regret to inform the public that Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo have withdrawn from tomorrow’s 5,000m semi-finals due to recovery from the demanding 10,000m race. Their bodies need more time to recover,” said the Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) in a message on X.
It added: “Consequently, Oscar Chelimo will represent us alone.”
In a statement released on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, Uganda head coach Faustino Kiwa, said the two heroes failed to fully recover from the gruelling 10,000m race in which both athletes competed on Friday, August 2, 2024.
“The event left them fatigued with leg and arm muscle pains. Efforts by the physio teams to resuscitate the athletes to their full normal form have not been successful,” noted coach Kiwa.
He said the coaching staff in consultation with the athletes taking into consideration the coaching principle of “athlete first, winning second”, decided to withdraw them from the 5,000m to give them ample time to fully recover.
“This now leaves Oscar Chelimo as the lone gallant soldier holding the Ugandan flag in the 5,000m race,” he added.