Joshua Cheptegei blasts clear to win Olympic 10,000m title

World record holder and multiple world champion Joshua Cheptegei added the Olympic 10,000 metres title to his remarkable haul when he won a fantastic race on Friday to take the Games’ first track gold.

The Ugandan, who took silver in Tokyo and gold over 5,000m, produced a devastating last 600 metres to come home in 26:43.14 minutes – taking 18 seconds off Kenenisa Bekele’s 2008 Olympic record.

Berihu Aregawi, who had been part of a three-pronged Ethiopian front-running group almost from the start, finished strongly for silver in 26:43.44 and American Grant Fisher took a superb bronze in 26:43.46.

A pack of 13 athletes ran the last two thirds of the race together and, remarkably, all of them finished in under 27 minutes.