Ugandan long-distance and marathon runner Joshua Cheptegei has finished second in the NN Dam tot Damloop 10-mile road race that took place this morning in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Ethiopian runner Muktar Edris claimed victory, crossing the finish line in 44 minutes and 48 seconds.
Cheptegei, who holds world records in the 5000m and 10,000m events, completed the race in 45 minutes and 16 seconds.
This marked the first competitive appearance for the 27-year-old athlete since his triumphant gold medal win at the Paris Olympics 52 days ago in the 10,000m.
After today’s performance, Cheptegei described the race as a learning experience and expressed optimism about refining his technique for future races.
“It’s a good experience for me, and I hope to correct some challenges best known to me. Just as I said, I learn a lot from challenges, and [this] always makes me better,” he remarked.
Despite a valiant effort, Cheptegei was unable to catch up with Edris, who took the lead early and ran a solo race to the finish.
Edris’ performance brought him close to the course record of 44:27 set by Kenyan Leonard Patrick Komon in 2011.
The Dam tot Damloop is a prestigious annual road race held in North Holland, with the main event stretching from Amsterdam to Zaandam.
It had previously held the IAAF Road Race Silver Label status from 2013 to 2019.
Following this race, Cheptegei, who is now focused on marathon running, will have a major goal of qualifying for the marathon at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships in 2025.
To secure his spot, he will need to clock a marathon time of under 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 30 seconds in a qualifying race next year.
