03 October 2023 | Athletics

Ugandan long-distance runner Joy Cheptoyek set a National Record in the women's 5km race at the inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia.

The 21-year-old crossed the finish line in 14:50 on Sunday, the best-ever time recorded by a Ugandan over that distance.

Cheptoyek however finished the race outside the medal bracket, settling for sixth place as Kenyans Beatrice Chebet and Lilian Rengeruk took gold and silver respectively while Ethiopian Ejgayehu Taye won bronze.

Cheptoyek along with Rengeruk led a group of nine athletes through the 1km mark in 2:55 and by the 2km mark, another Ugandan in Olympic 3000m steeplechase champion Peruth Chemutai was unable to maintain the quick opening pace finishing a disant 16th in 16:09.

With 3km reached in 8:53, the seven-strong group that included Cheptoyek was still intact and all the podium places still to race for. Cheptoyek would however fall off in the final one-and-a-half kilometer.

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