Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda won the men’s Olympic 10,000-meter race in the Stade de France, setting an Olympic record with a time of 26:43.14. He defeated Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi and American Grant Fisher, who finished second and third, respectively. Cheptegei, a three-time world champion, added the Olympic title to his impressive collection of victories, including silver in the 5,000 meters in Tokyo. He finished the race with a remarkable last 600 meters, breaking Kenenisa Bekele’s 2008 Olympic record by 18 seconds. Aregawi, part of a front-running Ethiopian group, also finished strongly, with all 13 runners in the race finishing in under 27 minutes.
The race started with a surge by defending champion Selemon Barega and Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia, splitting the field and setting a fast pace. The group of 25 runners held on, with Aregawi and Kejelcha dictating the pace in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd at the Stade de France. Cheptegei and his teammate Jacob Kiplimo faced a setback when Martin Magengo Kiprotich fell off the pace early in the race. Despite the tactics of the Ethiopian team, the pack of runners stayed together through the halfway stage, with the main group reduced to 15 runners.
As the race progressed, Kejelcha continued to accelerate the pace, with Barega taking the lead with 10 laps to go. Cheptegei and Fisher worked their way up through the pack, as Aregawi made a move to lead the group into the last kilometer. The race promised a close finish as the pack of 12 runners remained together. Cheptegei surged ahead in the final 400 meters, with Ahmed following and Fisher making a strong recovery to secure a medal. Despite a late push by Barega, Cheptegei held on for the victory, with Aregawi taking second and Kejelcha finishing in sixth place.
In the 4×400 mixed relay event, Team USA set a new world record in the opening heats with a time of 3:07.41, breaking their own record set at the 2023 World Championships. The team led halfway through the second lap, overcoming a fast field in a competitive race that saw four national records broken. The French team finished second in 3:10.60, cheered on by a home crowd at the Stade de France. The Americans, eager to avoid a repeat of their disqualification in the previous Olympics, delivered a dominant performance to secure their place in the final and set a new world record in the process.
