Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei has secured his place in the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, after a strong showing in the Tokyo Marathon on Sunday.
Cheptegei, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, finished ninth in the race, clocking a time of 2:05:59, which was faster than the World Athletics Championships’ qualifying time of 2:06:30. Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele took first place in the marathon.
Fellow Ugandan Stephen Kissa, however, finished 25th and did not meet the qualifying time.
“I am very excited that I managed to come among the first 10 in my second marathon,” said Cheptegei. “I am still on a learning curve since I transitioned from the track to the marathon.” Last year, Cheptegei announced his decision to step back from the 5,000m and 10,000m distances to focus on the 42km marathon.
Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) president Dominic Otuchet expressed his pride in the performances of the Ugandan athletes. “We are delighted that Cheptegei, in his second marathon appearance, finished ninth and qualified for the World Athletics Championships,” Otuchet told Xinhua.
Cheptegei’s performance in Tokyo comes after his marathon debut in Valencia last year, where he finished 37th.
