Joshua Cheptegei’s 12-year elite running career is adorable. He boasts of at least one medal from every major championship by World Athletics in which he has competed – except one.
Cheptegei has never won an individual medal at the World Athletics Road Running Championships, previously the World Athletics Half-Marathon Championships.
Upon return to the national team bib for the first time since the Paris 2024 Olympics in France, Cheptegei will on Sunday aim to tick that box too when he partakes in the men’s 21km race of the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.
‘Looking forward to representing Uganda on the world stage again,’ Cheptegei said in a social media post last week.
‘Denmark holds a special place in my heart since my World XC title at Aarhus 2019. Grateful for the opportunity and excited. Let’s go!’ added the 30-year-old.
His cabinet boasts of World Athletics silverware: 10000 metres junior gold from 2014, senior men’s 10km gold from 2019 cross-country, and four medals over the 10000 metres including a three-peat gold over 2019, 2022 and 2023.
The two-day event is a combination of three races; mile, 5km and 21km for the men and women. It is only the second time that World Athletics is doing this championship after the Riga 2023 edition in Latvia.
Cheptegei skipped Riga as he had just competed at the Budapest World Athletics Championships, where he retained the 10000 metres gold in Hungary.
Previously, he had raced at the World Half-Marathon Championships of 2021 where he came fourth behind winner compatriot Jacob Kiplimo on his debut 21km race but he won the team gold in Gdynia, Poland.
Six years later, Cheptegei has built craft on the road and his personal best (PB) of 59 minutes and 21 minutes over the half-marathon distance may be relatively slow but, the 5000 metres and 10000 metres world record holder can’t be overlooked.
Cheptegei will run the 21km alongside Team Uganda counterparts Mande Bushendich, Martin Kiprotich and Feb Chelogoi but they will face stiff competition from Kenyans Nicholas Kipkorir and Daniel Ebenyo.
Kipkorir, 27, holds the fastest PB in the field, of 58:08, and the host city is not new to him, having won the 2025 Copenhagen Half-Marathon in 58:23.
Meanwhile, Ebenyo took 10000 metres silver behind Cheptegei in Budapest and days later, he went to Riga and claimed the 21km silver medal behind fellow Kenyan Sabastian Sawe and hopes to go one better.
Kenya’s other entrants Gideon Rono and Alex Nzioka Matata are all faster than Cheptegei over the 21km but the field also has in-form world 10,000m bronze medallist Swedish Andreas Almgren, Ethiopian Tadese Worku, American Conner Mantz and Italian record-holder Yemaneberhan Crippa.
In the women’s 21km, Esther Chebet who won the Malaga Half-Marathon in mid-March in 1:06:33, is Uganda’s most fancied of the lot, others being Esther Chekwemoi, Annet Chemengich and Rebecca Chelangat.
Chebet also finished fourth in both the women’s 5000 metres and 10000 metres finals at the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland but the 21km race favourite is Kenyan Agnes Ngetich who seeks to add to her World Cross Country Championships title won in Tallahassee, Florida – USA in January.
On Saturday though, it will be the mile and 5km events. Six days after conquering the women’s 5000 metres at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Ethiopian Likina Amebaw is hoping to add the 5km title in Copenhagen.
And while Amebaw expects a Kenyan challenge, world U20 5000 metres champion Ugandan Charity Cherop will be relishing the test alongside Martha Chemusto.
Keneth Kiprop and Alex Kiplangat too have work in the men’s 5km, which has been headlined as a showdown between world 10000 metres champion Frenchman Jimmy Gressier and Olympic 5000 metres champion Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
Felister Chekwemoi, Patience Cherop, Silas Chemutai and Hosea Kiprop will be Uganda’s first competitors on Saturday in the mile races.
WORLD ATHLETICS ROAD RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS
TEAM UGANDA TO COPENHAGEN
Women’s 21km: Esther Chebet, Esther Chekwemoi Yeko, Annet Chemengich Chelangat and Rebecca Chelangat
Men’s 21km: Joshua Cheptegei, Mande Bushendich, Martin Kiprotich and Feb Chelogoi
Women’s 5km: Charity Cherop and Martha Chemusto
Men’s 5km: Alex Kiplangat and Kenneth Kiprop
Women’s 1 Mile: Felister Chekwemoi and Patience Cherop
Men’s 1 Mile: Silas Chemutai and Hosea Kiprop
CHEPTEGEI IN 2026
Jul 12: Run Your City 10K (1st, 27:19)
Apr 26: London Marathon (12th, 2:06:39)
Feb 8: Burj 2 Burj 21K (1st, 59:26)
CHEPTEGEI IN 2025
Dec 21: Kolkata 25K (1st, 1:11:49)
Oct 19: Amsterdam Marathon (5th, 2:04:52)
Apr 27: Bengaluru 10K (1st, 27:53)
Mar 2: Tokyo Marathon (9th, 2:05:59)
CHEPTEGEI IN 2024
Oct 20: Delhi Half Marathon (1st, 59:46)
Sept 22: Dam tot Damloop (2nd, 45:18)
Aug 2: Paris Olympics 10000m Final (1st, 26:43.14)
May 30: Bislett Games 5000m (9th, 12:51.94)
May 17: LA Grand Prix 5000m (3rd, 12:52.38)
Mar 30: World X-Country (6th, 28:24)
Mar 16: Laredo 10K (2nd, 25:53)
CHEPTEGEI IN 2023
Dec 3: Valencia Marathon (37th, 2:08:59)