This archive report was first published on 1 December 2019.
On a memorable day in Valencia, Spain, Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei closed out his season in style by setting a new 10km road world record on Sunday, December 1, 2019.
He eclipsed the previous benchmark set by Kenyan Leonard Komon in 2010 by six seconds, clocking 26 minutes 38 seconds at the Valencia Trinidad Alfonso.
At just 23 years old, Cheptegei has had an incredible year, capped off by this impressive achievement.
"What a year it has been. I can’t believe it," Cheptegei said after completing the memorable 2019 hat-trick.
He reached the halfway mark in 13:23 and the world record appeared within his grasps when he reached eight km in 21:37.
Cheptegei covered the final kilometre in 2:45, securing his place in history.
