Uganda’s star athlete Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei has broken the men’s 10,000m world record.
Cheptegei who also broke the world 5,000m record in August this year was in good form to cover the 10,000m distance in 26:11:00 at the NN Valencia World Record Day at the Turia Stadium in Spain on Wednesday evening.
He broke Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele’s record of 26:17:53 that he set in Brussels in 2005. Cheptegei who is also the Cross Country champion has re-written history breaking two records in a space of seven weeks.
“This performance means something great to me because we are trying to re-write history. The sports lovers in the world should know that the track is still exciting,” added Cheptegei in an interview after the race at the Stadium.
In the earlier women’s race Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidney smashed the 5,000m women’s record as she set a record of 14:06:65. The former record of 14:11:15 was held by another Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba Keneni Dibaba she set in 2008.
