Joshua Cheptegei from Uganda claimed gold in the men’s Olympic 10,000-metre event at the Stade de France, setting a new Olympic record of 26 minutes and 43.14 seconds. The Ethiopian Berihu Aregawi took silver, narrowly beating American Grant Fisher. Cheptegei added the Olympic title to his collection, having previously won three world championships. He finished the race with a remarkable last 600 meters, breaking Kenenisa Bekele’s 2008 Olympic record by 18 seconds.
The race saw intense competition with a pack of 13 runners finishing in under 27 minutes. Ethiopian team tactics set the pace, with surges from Selemon Barega and Yomif Kejelcha early on. Cheptegei and Fisher made their way up through the pack, with Aregawi leading the Ethiopian trio in dictating the pace. Canadian Mohammed Ahmed and Kenyan Benard Kibet also made their mark in the race.
In another exciting event, the USA set a new world record in the 4×400 mixed relay, finishing in three minutes and 7.41 seconds. The team led by Shamier Little put on a stellar performance, overcoming a fast field and setting the stage for a record-breaking run. The French team delighted the partisan home crowd by finishing second in the event, with Belgium and Jamaica following closely behind.
The atmosphere at the Stade de France was electric as athletes pushed themselves to the limits in pursuit of victory. Cheptegei’s gold medal win and the USA’s world record in the relay added to the excitement on the first day of the athletics program at the Olympic Games.
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