Uganda has included world 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei and world 3000m leader Jacob Kiplimo among the athletes selected to the country at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020 on 17 October.
Cheptegei, the world cross-country champion, broke the world 5000m record at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco last month with 12:35.36.
Over the last 12 month, the 23-year-old has also won gold at the World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark; the 5000m at the Diamond League final in Zurich; the 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships in Doha and closed 2019 by setting a world 10km record of 26:38 on the road in Valencia.
He has now set his sights on breaking the 10,000m record on 7 October before heading to Poland.
On his part, Kiplimo has had a sensational 2020 so far. The 19-year-old won the 5000m at the World Athletics Continental Tour meeting in Ostrava with a PB of 12:48.63 and then went on to triumph over 3000m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rome in a world-leading 7:26.64, breaking the Ugandan record and becoming the fastest teenager in history for the distance.
Given their exploits on the track in recent months, Cheptegei and Kiplimo will be among the medal favourites when they take to the start line in Gdynia – despite the fact that both men will be making their half-marathon debut.
They are joined on the team by 2009 world U20 cross-country bronze medallist Moses Kibet, Stephen Kissa and Abel Chebet.
Juliet Chekwel, who holds the Ugandan records for 10,000m (31:37.99), half marathon (1:09:45) and the marathon (2:23:13), leads the women’s team.
Doreen Chemutai, Doreen Chesang, Rachael Zena Chebet make up the rest of the Ugandan women’s roster.
The 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships, originally scheduled for 29 March 2020 in Gdynia, Poland, was postponed until 17 October 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
