Selemon Barega, a 21-year-old Ethiopian, won the men’s 10,000 metre event at the Olympics, returning the gold medal to Ethiopia for the first time since the 2008 Games.
Barega beat off the Ugandan holder of the world record, Joshua Cheptegei, by a margin of 27 seconds, 27:43:22, thanks to a last lap time of 53.92 seconds.
S. Kissa Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Mo Farah of Great Britain has won the last two Olympic gold medals in this competition. He tried to qualify for the event when he was 38 years old, but he couldn’t make the time cutoff and hence didn’t go to the Olympics. Haile Gebrselassie (1996) and Kenenisa Bekele (2004) and (2008) are the most recent Ethiopians to win the 10,000-meter Olympic gold.
“It’s common knowledge that we won the 10,000 metre race, “A post-race comment from Barega.
“A gold medal has eluded us since Kenenisa’s triumph in Beijing in 2008. I’m thrilled to be a part of the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.
With a time of 27 minutes, 43 seconds, and 63 hundredths of a second, Cheptegei had to settle for second place, with his countryman Jacob Kiplimo taking third. These medals were Uganda’s first in track and field at the Olympics since 1996.
I’m conflicted,” Cheptegei admitted. “
First, as the current holder of a world record and a world champion, I am ecstatic to have won an Olympic silver medal today. However, there is a part of me that is disappointed with the outcome because I came here hoping to win gold.
However, you can never know how well your opponent has trained, and you should be glad to God that you had a chance to compete at all.”
Stephen Kissa, one of Uganda’s squad members, paced the first few kilometres. It was hot and humid in Tokyo, and he was the de facto pacesetter for a while, but neither Cheptegei nor Kiplimo stayed with him.
After the competition, Kissa commented, “We were planning for the gold but regrettably we have a silver and bronze.” “However, I’m content. As a team, we’ve earned two medals.”
Though he made an early effort to narrow the gap, Barega eventually nestled back into the chasing pack and waited until the final kilometre to make his decisive move. He ended the race in two minutes and 25 seconds for the quickest final 1,000 metres of an Olympic 10,000-meter final.
Conclusion
In his first Olympics, Stanford’s Grant Fisher, a former NCAA champion, finished in fifth place in 27:46.39, making him the top American finisher.
Woody Kincaid and Joe Klecker, both Americans, crossed the line with a time of 28 minutes, 11.01 seconds and 28 minutes, 14.18 seconds, respectively, to place 15th and 16th. On Tuesday, August 3, Fisher and Kincaid will join the other men who will be running the first round of the 5,000 metres. Thanks for read our Article S. Kissa Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
