Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda captures a 10,000-meter masterpiece on opening night at Olympic track

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Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda captures a 10,000-meter masterpiece on opening night at Olympic track

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda took the lead with a little more than a lap left in a masterpiece of a 10,000-meter race Friday to win in an Olympic-record 26 minutes, 43.14 seconds in front of a roaring crowd on an electric opening night at the Stade de France.

The world-record holder raced in the middle of a strung-out pack for most of the 25 laps on the calm, cool evening outside of Paris. Then he took off, and held the lead over the final 500 meters against a crowd of Ethiopians who set a blistering pace all night.

Ethiopian Berihu Aregawi beat American Grant Fisher in a sprint to the line for silver. Fisher’s bronze medal marked the first for the U.S. in the longest race at the Olympic track since Galen Rupp took silver in 2012.

Sha’carri Richardson, right, of the United States, runs in women’s 100-meter heat at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Credit: Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda captures a 10,000-meter masterpiece on opening night at Olympic track