Cheptegei: "I have had disappointments before and they have always made me come back stronger"
Joshua Cheptegei: "I have had disappointments before and they have always made me come back stronger," said the Ugandan.
Sport News Africa · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Audio version in preparation · read aloud by your browser meanwhile
Ugandan athlete Joshua Cheptegei finished 37th in the Valencia marathon, where he was one of the main attractions, with a time printed in the source as 2’’08’’58. The specialist in the event printed as ‘10. 000 m’ struggled badly on his first attempt at this distance. He could barely stand after crossing the finish line.
The 5000m Olympic champion discussed his race on social network X. "The marathon is a journey, a new chapter that I opened today. […] I am proud to have finished, even though the result does not reflect what we trained for. I have had disappointments before and they have always made me come back stronger; that is life’s most powerful lesson. More marathon chapters will be written in the years ahead", Joshua Cheptegei tweeted.
"For now, I will first go home and enjoy some time off with my family before beginning preparations for the Paris Olympics. I want to thank the incredible number of fans who cheered me on today, the organisers for their confidence in me, and my team, who have always supported me", the Ugandan athlete concluded.
With just under eight months until the Paris 2024 Olympics, it is uncertain whether Joshua Cheptegei will race on the roads again. The Ugandan is likely to focus on a possible 5000m and 10000m double, as Mo Farah did in 2012.
Mamadou DIALLO