TOKYO (REUTERS) – Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, the world record holder, won the men’s 5,000m gold at the Tokyo Olympics on Friday (Aug 6) to add to his 10,000m silver from last week.
The 24-year-old set the pace early in the 12-and-a-half-lap race but was soon overtaken by a host of his competitors on a balmy evening at the Olympic Stadium.
But with about 600m remaining he found a different gear to surge past the pack and retake the lead to win in 12min 58.15sec.
Mohammed Ahmed of Canada clinched the silver in 12:58.61 while American Paul Chelimo claimed the bronze medal with a season’s best time of 12:59.05, falling over the line after struggling at the end.
In the women’s 400m, Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas retained her title in 48.36sec as American Allyson Felix took bronze, her record 10th Olympic medal.
Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic took silver.
Miller-Uibo wrested control of the lead on the second bend and delivering her trademark final surge to become the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic titles in the event since France’s Marie-Jose Perec in 1996.
Felix’s bronze made her the most decorated woman in Olympic track and field history, edging ahead of Jamaica’s Merlene Ottey.
She has also equalled compatriot Carl Lewis’s Olympic medal count and is widely expected to contend in Saturday’s 4x400m relay final for one more shot at the podium in her fifth and final Games.
