Uganda’s Cheptegei, Kiplimo conquer New York half marathon
Uganda’s flag was raised high when global gold medalists Jacob Kiplimo and Joshua Cheptegei won gold and silver respectively at the 16th United Airlines New York City Half Marathon on Sunday.
Moving into the race, Kiplimo was the world half marathon and cross-country gold medalist having set the world half marathon record of 57:31 in Lisbon in 2021.
On the other hand, Cheptegei had the world 5000m and 10,000m records to his name as an Olympic and world champion on the track.
On Sunday, the duo made no mistake challenging each other during the half marathon in New York.
Kiplimo took charge of the race at the halfway point, and created a huge gap before crossing the finishing line in 1:01:31 under cold and windy conditions ahead of Cheptegei who crossed the finish line at 1:02:09 to bag silver.
Morocco’s Zouhair Talbi came third after clocking 1:02:09.
With the career head-to-head record between the two Ugandan athletes standing at 8-2 in Cheptegei’s favour before the New York half marathon, the outcome ensured Kiplimo tried to close the gap.
“The race was good from start to finish. I did my best despite the coldness. I am happy for this victory,” Kiplimo said after the win.
