Ugandan long-distance runner Jacob Kiplimo has credited compatriot Joshua Cheptegei for his current success in his athletics career.
Kiplimo beat Cheptegei to the top prize in the recently concluded New York City Half Marathon last weekend but he still reserves praise for him.
The 22-year-old took charge of the race at the halfway point and set a huge distance between himself and his rivals to cross the tape in 1 hour 01.31 minutes.
Cheptegei posted 1:02:09 but Kiplimo feels he is one of the reasons he is rising fast to becoming the World’s best.
“Joshua has given me a lot of advice over the past four years, a lot of encouragement. He cares about me a lot and tells me what to do to succeed,” Kiplimo told Sports News Africa.
“He’s been a good friend to me, we really complement each other,” he added.
The duo are remembered to have recently dominated at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. Cheptegei won gold in the 5,000m and silver in the 10,000m, while Kiplimo won bronze in the 10,000m.