Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei just needed that final lap.
The previous few laps of the men’s 10,000 meters saw him bunched up with the likes of Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Selemon Barega of Ethiopia and others.
But on the last lap, Cheptegei surged ahead for the winning time of 27 minutes, 27.43 seconds to take the title at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday in Eugene.
Minutes later, he had a gold medal around his neck and the Ugandan flag draped over his shoulders.
He’d defended his previous world championship from 2019, adding to his growing list of accolades.
A trio of athletes from Bowerman Track Club, in Portland, led by Grant Fisher, joined Cheptegei in the finals. Fisher was in the mix in the last few laps, ultimately finishing in fourth place with a time of 27:28.14.
The other two Bowerman runners, Mohammed Ahmed and Sean McGorty, finished in sixth and 12th place, respectively. Ahmed, competing for Canada, had a time of 27:30.27 while McGorty finished with a time of 27:46.30
