Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei marked his Olympic gold medal victory with a quiet celebration at dawn, the Ugandan Athletics Federation (UAF) reports.
The celebration took place in the early hours of Saturday morning, following his triumph on Friday night.
A post on UAF’s X account, described the scene characterised with laughter from “tired but happy faces”: “After clinching the gold medal, Joshua Cheptegei and his team celebrated quietly at dawn. Laughter and tired but happy faces surrounded him as they shared stories of their journey. The night’s victory still glowed in their eyes.”
Cheptegei won gold in the men’s 10,000m race at the Paris Olympics on Friday, clocking a time of 26:43.14. This set a new Olympic record and narrowly beat Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi, who took silver in 26:43.44.
The intimate gathering highlighted the emotional aftermath of Cheptegei’s achievement, with the team reflecting on their path to success.
The 10,000m race, traditionally one of the most gruelling events in track and field, saw Cheptegei cross the finish line just 0.30 seconds ahead of his closest rival.
This victory adds to Cheptegei’s impressive list of achievements and represents a significant moment for Ugandan athletics on the global stage.
