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Cheptegei just about held on for bronze ahead of a fast-finishing Kamworor, both men timed at 29:37, after which he promised ‘focus now turns to the track’.
Joshua Cheptegei has quickly brushed off his struggles at the 2023 World Cross Country Championship on Saturday promising that it will fire him up ahead of the season.
Cheptegei failed to find the legs to keep pace with younger compatriot Jacob Kiplimo at the back end of the senior men’s race, who raced on to take victory nine seconds ahead of the field.
Kiplimo completed the course in 29:17 – a remarkably quick time for 10km given the difficulty of the course – with Aregawi, a World Cross debutant, taking silver in 29:26.
Cheptegei just about held on for bronze ahead of a fast-finishing Kamworor, both men timed at 29:37, after which he promised ‘focus now turns to the track’.
“I think it was a good race, especially coming back from injury,” Cheptegei, the world 5000m and 10,000m record-holder told World Athletics.
“I didn’t have the best preparation, but I am grateful to come here and finish on the podium.”
“Now I can be reassured I can go focus on the track soon, and especially the coming World Championships,” he added.
The World Cross Country Championships was only Cheptegei’s second race since he returned from injury that followed his successful defence of his 10,000m title the
World Championship s in Eugene, Oregon last year.
The injury kept him out of the 2022 Commonwealth games in Birmingham, and only returned on New Year’s Day to take victory at the San Silvestre 10km road race in Madrid, Spain.
Cheptegei will attempt to defend his 10000m world title at the 2023 World Championships 2023 in Budapest, Hungary.
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