It was a moment of jubilation and celebration for Rebecca Chelengat as she claimed gold at the 3rd Sevilla Half Marathon on Sunday.

Chelengat was followed closely by her compatriot, Annet Chemengich Chelengat, who took silver, while Ethiopian Yalganesh Eskamech Gedafa finished in third place.

The winner entered the race with a personal best of 1:10:34, which she significantly improved to 1:07:18, setting a new race record.

Chelengat continues to show remarkable progress as an athlete, advancing from a silver medal last year to gold this year.

She earned €2,000 (approximately UGX 7,758,000) in prize money for winning the race, along with an additional €1,000 (approximately UGX 3,879,000) for breaking the race record.

The head-to-head between Uganda’s long-distance runner Jacob Kiplimo and Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi at the San Silvestre Vallecana in Madrid on New Year’s Eve did not disappoint.

The two favourites in the 10km Road Race fought for victory right from the beginning of the race to the finish line, with a photo-finish needed to determine the winner.

Aregawi was proclaimed champion of this special edition on the 60th anniversary. The Ethiopian clocked 26:32, a new course record and registered the second-fastest 10km road time in history.

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Kiplimo also recorded 26:32 in a race that began with a blistering pace that left the competition to just six runners within the opening couple of kilometres and a two-man battle by the eight-minute mark.

Homeboy Adel Mechaal claimed the third spot on the podium with a time of 27:40.

Ugandan long-distance runner Belinda Chemutai closed the year on a bright note, running a personal best in the Women’s 5km.

Chemutai finished third in the World Athletics Label Road Race at the Cursa dels Nassos in Barcelona on Tuesday, December 31 2024.

The Uganda Prisons athlete posted a time of 14:36 to finish in third behind Ethiopia’s Medina Eisa who settled for silver having run 13 seconds faster.

However, above the two was the Paris Olympic Games 5,000m and 10,000m champion Beatrice Chebet of Kenya who clinched Gold with a 13:54 time, a world record time over the distance.

It should be remembered that Chemutai claimed the second edition of the Elgon Half Marathon where she posted 1:11:15.

World Athletics Label Road Race Results | Women

1. Beatrice Chebet (KEN) 13:54
2. Medina Eisa (ETH) 14:23
3. Belinda Chemutai (UGA) 14:36
4. Melknat Wudu (ETH) 14:53
5. Jana Van Lent (BEL) 15:24

Uganda’s long-distance runner Stephen Kissa claimed victory in the Tata Steel Kolkata World 25K on Sunday, logging his first win in an international competition in five years.

Kissa clocked 1:12:33 to dethrone Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo who came second.

The leading group of last year’s winner Daniel Ebenyo, Benson Kipruto, Kissa and Haymanot Alew reached 10km in 28:42 with Ebenyo looking strong, remaining at the helm or alongside Kissa for much of the race.

They reached 15km in 42:56, with Ebenyo and Kissa still leading the pack as the pace picked up along the tram tracks of South Kolkata. Kipruto dropped off as Kissa took the lead at the 20km mark, clocking 57:50, with Ebenyo close behind.

Ebenyo tried to move away from Kissa but the Ugandan athlete held off the challenge to sprint to the tape and win in 1:12:33.

“I realised that I ran well today,” said Kissa. “I thought this could be my day. At the last kilometre, I was comfortable, and I knew I could do it.”

Ebenyo finished runner-up four seconds later, while Anthony Kipchirchir came through for third place in 1:12:55.

“Every day, a champion is born in sports. Last year, it was me. This year, it was Kissa. That is the fun of sports. I am very happy. He has flown the flag of Uganda and congratulations,” Ebenyo said.

Leading Results

Men

1. Stephen Kissa (UGA) 1:12:33
2. Daniel Ebenyo (KEN) 1:12:37
3. Anthony Kipchirchir (KEN) 1:12:55
4. Benson Kipruto (KEN) 1:13:25
5. Asbel Rutto (KEN) 1:13:36

Uganda’s long-distance runner Stella Chesang set a new national marathon record at the Valencia Marathon on Sunday.

Chesang crossed the finish line in an impressive time of 2:18:26, taking second place behind Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu, who won the race in 2:16:49.

Chesang slashed two minutes off her previous best of 2:20:23, which she set in Hamburg last year, becoming the first Ugandan woman to run under the 2:20 barrier.

Tiruye Mesfin completed the women’s podium with a time of 2:18:35.

Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe won the men’s race with a time of 2:02:05. Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta finished second, while Kenya’s Daniel Mateiko took third place.

Ugandan long-distance runner Joshua Cheptegei won the Delhi Half Marathon 2024 men’s elite title.

Cheptegei who retired from the track after claiming the 10000m Olympic title clocked 59:46 to finish ahead of Kenyan duo Alex Matata (59:53) and Nicholas Kipkorir (59:59).

It’s the first half-marathon win for Cheptegei and he termed it as special.

“This win in Delhi was special to me because it is my first-ever victory in a half marathon,” said Cheptegei. “India has been important for my career and this country now means a lot to me. I felt good throughout the race despite the slow start,” he added.

Matata led for most of the race alongside compatriot Kipkorir with Cheptegei running just behind the two. The Ugandan, however, made a decisive move in the final stretch to secure the win.

“My first aim was to catch up with Nicholas [Kipkorir] and then Alex [Matata] in the final few kilometres of the race. I am delighted with my performance and hope to continue in the same manner in the future races,” Cheptegei said.

With victory, Cheptegei takes home a cash prize of $27,000.

World record holder for both the 5000m and 10000m Joshua Cheptegei is set to compete in the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon.

The race which is a World Athletics Gold Label event will take place on Sunday, October 20.

The 10,000m Olympic gold medalist and a three-time World champion made his international debut in India at the TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2014, finishing second.

Cheptegei’s return to India for the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon promises to be a highlight of this year’s race and will be his first Half Marathon in Delhi.

“This country holds a special place in my heart, as it’s where I made my international debut in 2014,” Cheptegei said as quoted by Watch Athletics. “It’s been a good season for me, and I am certainly looking at a course-record timing at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. The energy and passion of the Indian running community are truly inspiring, and I’m excited to be part of this prestigious event.”

The course for the race runs through the heart of Delhi. It passes many other sights of the city, including the India Gate and the Kartavya Path. 

The International Elite winners in the men’s and women’s categories will take home US $27,000 each and the prize money includes the top 10 finishers in both. In addition to this, there is an Event Record Bonus of US $12,000.

Cheptegei competed in the half marathon last year in New York where he finished second.

With Uganda’s star athlete now fully switching to road races, he will also set his focus on qualifying for the marathon at next year’s Tokyo World Athletics Championships.

Ugandan athlete Peruth Chemutai secured a silver medal in the women’s at the ongoing 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Chemutai held her nerves to cross the line second after posting an 8:53:34 time with a new national record behind Bahrain’s Winfred Mutile Yavi.

Chemutai came into the race seeking to defend her gold medal secured in the Tokyo Olympics held in Japan, though she felt short.

In the tight race, Chemutai led for quite a while, but Yavi had a superb finish to set a new world record 8:52:76 to clinch gold.

Kenya’s Faith Cherotich crossed the line third with a timing of 8:55:15 to secure bronze.

Chemutai’s silver becomes the second medal of the ongoing 2024 Olympic Games in Paris after Joshua Cheptegei’s gold medal in the men’s 10,000m race.

Peruth Chemutai will be on track today as she seeks to defend her title in the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase in the ongoing Olympics games.

Chemutai won heat one of the races with ease to confirm his slot in the final of the highly anticipated track.

To reach the mark, she was in the lead for the biggest time of the race, and this made her climax easily ahead of a talented pack of quality athletes.

The athlete is poised to leave everything on the track as she attempts to defend the gold medal that she secured in Tokyo three years ago.

Unlike in Tokyo, where she entered the race as a young athlete to look out for, this time around Chemutai is one of the favourites to get to the podium.

Chemutai will face stiff competition from Winfred Yavi (Bahrain) and Beatrice Chepkoech (Kenya). However, she will look back to this year’s Diamond League meet in Eugene, where she beat them in the same event.

Having faced setbacks in the previous World Championships, today’s race offers her a thrilling and exciting chance to rewrite her name on the back pages and big walls.

Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo have officially been withdrawn from the Men’s 5,000m race at the Paris Olympic Games.

According to a statement from Uganda’s Athletics head coach at the game Faustino Kiwa, the duo was unable to recover from the gruelling 10,000m race in which Cheptegei won gold and Kiplimo finished 8th.

“I wish to inform Ugandans that our heroes Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo have been officially withdrawn from the 5,000m race due on Wednesday 7th August 2024,” the statement reads.

“This follows their failure to fully recover from the gruelling 10,000m race in which both athletes competed on Friday 2nd August 2024. The event left them fatigued with leg and arm muscle pains. Efforts by the Physio Teams to resuscitate the athletes to their full normal form has not been successful.

“The Coaching staff in consultation with the athletes, taking into consideration the coaching principle “athlete first, winning second”, decided to withdraw them from the 5,000m to give them ample time to fully recover.

“This now leaves Oscar Chelimo as the lone gallant soldier holding the Ugandan Flag in the 5,000m Race.”

This will be the first time in six years for Kiplimo to depart a major championship without a medal.