Olympic 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei has been ruled out of Sunday’s Antrim Coast Half Marathon after falling ill, organisers confirmed on Friday.
The 28-year-old Ugandan was set to headline the race following his gold medal performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he broke the Olympic record in the 10,000m.
Cheptegei also holds the world records in the 5,000m and 10,000m, is a three-time world champion over 10,000m, and previously won Olympic gold in the 5,000m at Tokyo 2020.
“Joshua is deeply saddened to be missing the race but he is unable to participate due to an illness picked up over the weekend,” said race organiser James McIlroy.
Despite Cheptegei’s absence, the Antrim Coast Half Marathon will still feature an elite field, including Kenya’s seven-time world champion Geoffrey Kamworor and fellow Kenyan Lilian Kasait.
Organisers said the continued presence of Olympians, world champions, and record holders underlines the growing stature of the Northern Ireland event, which has built a reputation for being both scenic and fast.
