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Kiplimo wins gold in 10,000m, breaks Cheptegei’s record
Jacob Kiplimo made history again for Uganda on Tuesday by winning the country’s 2nd gold medal at the #B2022 Commonwealth 2022 games.
Kiplimo won in stunning fashion when he outrun his Kenyan rival Daniel Simiu Ebenyu in the last 200 metres by turning up gears into sprint mode, and went on to break his compatriot Joshua Cheptegei’s #gc2018 Commonwealth 10k metre race record set in 2018 in the Australian city of Gold Coast.
Kiplimo set a new 10,000m record of 27 minutes, 09 seconds and 19 microseconds (27,09,19) to break Cheptegei’s record of 27:19.62.
Kiplimo’s achievement comes less than two weeks after winning bronze in the same distance at the recent World Championships held in Oregon, USA. Cheptegei won the 10,000 metres then.
Kiplimo’s gold pushed Uganda up to 12th position – by Tuesday, in the national medal tally with two medals – both gold, adding his to Victor Kiplangat’s Marathon gold he won last week.
Congratulatory messages had started to flow on social media following the good news of Kiplimo’s historic victory.
One of the first high-ranking Ugandans to register their happiness was the newly engaged Speaker of Parliament Anita Anet Among. Among said: “Congratulations Jacob Kiplimo! We are a proud nation tonight because you showcased the true Ugandan Spirit, the winning Spirit.”
On his part, Kiplimo said he was also motivated to win because he saw the pace was rather slow.