As far as middle and long distance running is concerned, Ethiopia has for all practical purposes been Kenya’s only rival but in recent years, Uganda has joined the table, going toe to toe with the country at the World Athletics Championships, at the Olympic Games, and at the Commonwealth Games.
Interestingly, a majority of the Ugandan athletes giving Kenya a run for her money in athletics are concentrated in a small town in eastern Uganda called Kapchorwa.
Kapchorwa is to Ugandan athletics what Iten is to Kenya. It is suitable for high altitude training, and has produced a majority of Uganda’s athletes.
World half marathon record holder Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda has pitched camp in Kapchorwa, training ahead of 2024 Olympics in Paris, where he will keep the rivalry between the two countries alive over 5,000 metres and 10,000m.
He has paid glowing tribute to Kenyan athletes, saying they have helped bring out the best in him during competitions.
“The sport has brought us together and I must admit that Kenyan athletes have helped bring out the best in me. They are my great friends and some have given me good pieces of advice on how to maintain discipline. They also beat me in some races, and that’s the nature of sport,” he said.
Kiplimo will have his fellow countryman, Olympics 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei for company in the two races against a strong contingent from Kenya. In the 5,000m race, Kiplimo and Cheptegei will come up against the Kenyan contingent of 2014 Commonwealth 1,500m silver medallist Ronald Kwemoi, 2022 World Athletics Championships 5,000m silver medallist Jacob Krop, and US-based runner Edward Kurgat.
In men’s 10,000m race, Kiplimo and Cheptegei will be up against Kenyan contingent of Daniel Mateiko, Bernard Kibet and Nicholas Kimeli, as well as athletes from other countries.
Kenya will be seeking to reclaim the elusive 10,000m title last won by Naftali Temu at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Cheptegei is the fastest man over the distance, having clocked 26 minutes and 11.00 seconds in victory in Monaco in 2020.
Kiplimo is the third fastest man over the distance with season best time of 12:40.96. He started the season by retaining the World Cross Country Championships title in Belgrade, Serbia in March, winning ahead of Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi, and bronze medallist Benson Kiplangat of Kenya.
Kiplimo is on a special mission at the Olympics in Paris, where will be looking to upgrade the bronze medal he won at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games over 10,000m.
“It is a competitive season. Everyone is eyeing the Olympics title, and I have been training well. After the World Cross Country Championships, I sat down with my coach Peter Chelangat and came up with tactics we should apply in training ahead of the race,” said Kiplimo who is also the World Half Marathon record holder.
The soft-spoken athlete had a good season last year, but picked up a hamstring injury which locked him out of the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. He, however, recovered in time for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships and won.
“I got a lot of encouragement during that period, and getting back to defend my title was a dream come true. I was excited so much because the race was competitive, it was not easy,” added Kiplimo.
He admits that after winning a silver medal at the 2016 World Junior Championships over 10,000m in Poland before competing at the 2016 Olympic Games where he was the youngest inspired some of his friends to pursue athletics.
He would the junior title at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships at Kololo grounds, Kampala, inspiring even many more to take up athletics.
“After that, many youths would join me and my group in training, and they wanted advice from me,” he explained.
On the other hand, Kimeli who is competing in the same race as Kiplimo, said that the Ugandan has always challenged them to work extra hard.
“It is true that Kiplimo has been a thorn in the flesh for us in long distance races. He has forced the long distance athletes to work extra hard, and to try to match him. We have met severally together with Joshua Cheptegei and we believe as a team this year we might get something special,” said Kimeli.
Kiplimo was born in Kolkween, Kwenet Sub County in Kween District in Uganda. He leant athletics from his elder brother Robert Chemonges.
He started running while in Primary Four and he would compete in various races but what even pushed him to compete is the 2km distance he used to cover while to and from school which sometimes forced him to run all the way to save time.
In 2015, he competed in the Mountain Run where he managed to earn a slot to head to Europe but he was underage and couldn’t travel and he had to wait until 2016 so that he could travel.
In 2016, he would bag a bronze medal at the World Under-20 Championships in Bydgoszcz before heading to the Olympic Games where he was one of the youngest in the 5,000m race and finished in 26th position.
In 2017, he bagged gold at the World Cross Country Championships in Kampala before competing at the World Championships in London where he finished 22nd in 5,000m.
He later in 2018 represented his country at the World Under-20 Championships where he doubled winning a silver medal in the 10,000m while finishing sixth in the 5,000m race.
In 2019, he came second in the World Cross Country Championships behind his compatriot Cheptegei in Aarhus, Denmark before winning the World Half Marathon Championships title in 2020 in Gdynia, Poland.
At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Kiplimo once again doubled in the event winning a bronze medal in the 10,000m race and coming sixth in the 5,000m race.
At the Oregon World Championships in 2022, Kiplimo bagged a bronze medal in the 10,000m before winning gold medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m races at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
He further shined at the World Cross Country Championships in 2023 in Bathurst, Australia winning gold in the senior category before defending his title this year at the Belgrade games in March.
Kiplimo also said that with the good performance from the few elite athletes, the number of those training in the area has improved adding that in the next three years, the number of athletes training will be big.
And after missing the Budapest games due to injury, he has high hopes for medaling in the 5,000m and 10,000m races.
Coach Peter Chelangat said that long runs are essential for athletes in terms of buildup which will help them perform better when they line up for the races.
“Just like Kenya, athletes in Kapchorwa are taking advantage of the good terrain and weather conditions which makes the place ideal for training. The genes are also another factor that has seen athletes perform well because we share the same DNA just like Kalenjin in Kenya,” said Chelangat who also works with the Rosa Associati Management.
He is optimistic that when Kiplimo lines up for the Olympic Games in Paris, he will certainly be in the podium position, thanks to the high altitude in the area.
