Selemon Barega, of Ethiopia, celebrates after winning the men's 10,000-meters final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader,Pool)
Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega has won the first athletics gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics in the men’s 10,000m.
The 21-year-old’s fast finish was too much for the world record holder and world champion Joshua Cheptegei from Uganda, who had to settle for silver ahead of his compatriot Jacob Kiplimo in third.
Barega had won silver in the 5000m at the 2019 World Championships but becomes the first new winner of the event since Britain’s Mo Farah – who failed to qualify for the Games – first claimed the title in London 2012.
Barega finished in 27:43.22, while Cheptegei’s team-mate Jacob Kiplimo claimed bronze – after their fellow Ugandan Stephen Kissa flew out of the start and led at the halfway mark, before pulling out around 7000m.
Britain’s Marc Scott finished a respectable 14th, but Sam Atkin pulled out with an apparent injury just after passing through 5km.
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