Ugandan long-distance Oscar Chelimo won bronze in the men’s 5000m final as the 2022 World Athletics Championships came to a close in Eugene, Oregon (US).
It’s his first senior medal for Uganda at a major championships having earlier won bronze at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Argentina and bronze at the 2019 World Cross-country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.
Chelimo sprinted through the field in the final 100m to secure third place in a season best 13:10.20. Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway won gold with the fastest time of 13:09.24, and Jacob Krop of Kenya won silver at 13:09.98.
World record holder and Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei finished ninth in the race in 13:13.12.
Uganda finished off the championships with three medals (one gold and two bronze).
Cheptegei and Kiplimo won Uganda’s first medals in Oregon when they took Gold and Bronze respectively in the 10,000m.
Uganda finish 16th on the medal table – tied with Belgium and Sweden on medal count. United States clinched top place with 33 medals (13 gold, 9 silver and 11 bronze).
The next championships will be held in Budapest, Hungary next year in August.
The athletes now quickly shift focus to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK, that start this Thursday July 28 to August 8.
