At 28, Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei has accomplished nearly everything on the 400m oval. He’s won gold medals and set world records in his signature 5,000m and 10,000m events, but he’s ready to put all that behind him. On Friday at the elite press conference for Sunday’s Tokyo Marathon, the Ugandan told reporters he’s “totally done” running on the track.
A reporter asked Cheptegei, the fastest man ever over 10,000m, whether he would return to Tokyo in September for the 2025 World Athletics Championships. “I’ve really had incredible moments on the track, especially winning many medals from World Championships and Olympic Games, but I’ve been doing this for quite a long time and now it’s the right time for me to transition and see the other part of life,” Cheptegei said, alluding to the marathon.
Cheptegei’s career on the track has earned him three Olympic medals (two gold, one silver) and four world championship medals in the men’s 10,000m event—a distance at which he set the mind-numbing world record of 26 minutes and 11 seconds at the Monaco Diamond League in 2020.
“I’ll miss the track, but I have to leave,” he said.
On Sunday, Cheptegei will continue the newest chapter of his career—the marathon. Despite his impressive track resume, he struggled in his marathon debut two years ago in Valencia, finishing 37th overall in 2:08:59.
Cheptegei told reporters his goal for Sunday is to keep up with the men’s defending champion and Paris 2024 bronze medallist, Benson Kipruto of Kenya, plus Deresa Geleta of Ethiopia, and try to set a new personal best. Kipruto set a course record during his win at the Tokyo Marathon last year in 2:02:16, while Geleta set a massive personal best in his last marathon (Valencia 2024) with a time of 2:02:38.
Eliud Kipchoge believes Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei can break marathon world record
Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede eyes title defence
Kipruto isn’t the only champion returning to Tokyo to defend their title. In the women’s field, Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede, who set a Japanese all-comers’ record of 2:15:55 when winning the marathon last year, will be joined by four others who have dipped under 2:18 in a field that features a total of nine sub-2:20 women.
One of those runners is another former Tokyo Marathon winner, Rosemary Wanjiru, who is returning after her victory in 2023. It was originally announced that 2022 winner Brigid Kosgei, the former world record-holder, would also be racing, but organizers have since announced her withdrawal.
In addition to her win in Tokyo last year, Kebede finished second at the 2024 Chicago Marathon behind the new women’s world record holder, Ruth Chepngetich. This will be Kebede’s first race since her win at the Tata Steel Kolkata World 25K in December.
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