The track events at the 2024 Paris Olympics finally heated up with the men’s 10,000m finals tonight, August 2.
We were guaranteed a fast race, with some big names and fast guys toeing the line. Olympic champion Selemon Barega, world record holder Joshua Cheptegei, and Olympic and world medalist Jacob Kiplimo were just some of the big guns in the mix. Alongside them were some star-studded up-and-comers, including Americans Grant Fisher and Nico Young.
Thirteen athletes from today’s lineup ran under 27 minutes, the fastest 10,000m final in history. All 13 also broke the previous Olympic record, which had been 27:01, set in 2008 by Kenenisa Bekele.
The race was quite interesting from the start, with defending champion Barega taking the lead early. Kiplimo was sitting towards the back of the pack in what was noted as a “Sifan Hassan style” of racing.
The Ethiopians continued to press on through the opening laps, showing their dominance as a team. Fisher, not necessarily a favorite, stuck himself into the Ethiopian mix early, sitting behind Kejelcha and Barega.
The pack came through the 3K mark in 8:02, which is a 26:45 10K pace, and we expected to see the group beginning to thin soon.
With 15 laps to go, Cheptegei began to make his way to the front, settling in at about sixth place.
The pace continued to heat up with the leaders coming through in 10:39, a 26:40 10K pace.
Kejelcha and Aregawi of Ethiopia seem to be working well together, taking turns driving a very hard pace here. The field is getting stretched. The third Ethiopian and reigning Olympic champ, Selemon Beraga, seemed to be getting dropped at this point but eventually moved back into the mix.
By the 6K mark, it was Ethiopia vs. The World, with Kejelcha, Aregawi, and Barega playing games with the pack of 13 remaining athletes. Fisher of the USA and Ahmed of Canada remained in the group at this point.
The group came through the 8K mark at 21:33, and it looked for a moment like the Ethiopians gave the group time to breathe for a second.
With 1,500m left to go, all the favorites and a handful of underdogs were in the lead, including the man having the run of his life: Grant Fisher. But could the young American pull something off in Paris?
Cheptegei, the world record holder, played it patient all night and jumped the group in the last lap.
And that was the move that sealed the deal.
Cheptegei won gold in the 10,000m with a record time, running an Olympic record of 26:43.14.
Berihu Aregawi used his experience to secure the silver medal with the young American, Fisher, securing the bronze medal in the fastest Olympic 10,000m in history.
Cheptegei reiterated after winning gold that this would be his last race on the track. “It’s been like 10 great years of great impact,” he told reporters. It’s unclear whether or not he’s retiring from running completely, or just track events. He ran his debut marathon last December in Valencia with mixed results.
Men’s 10,000m Final Results
| Position | Country | Athlete | Finishing Time |
| 1 | UGA | Joshua CHEPTEGEI | 26:43.14 OR |
| 2 | ETH | Berihu AREGAWI | 26:43.44 |
| 3 | USA | Grant FISHER | 26:43.46 SB |
| 4 | CAN | Mohammed AHMED | 26:43.79 SB |
| 5 | KEN | Benard KIBET | 26:43.98 PB |
| 6 | ETH | Yomif KEJELCHA | 26:44.02 |
| 7 | ETH | Selemon BAREGA | 26:44.48 |
| 8 | UGA | Jacob KIPLIMO | 26:46.39 SB |
| 9 | ESP | Thierry NDIKUMWENAYO | 26:49.49 NR |
| 10 | RSA | Adriaan WILDSCHUTT | 26:50.64 NR |
| 11 | KEN | Daniel MATEIKO | 26:50.83 |
| 12 | USA | Nico YOUNG | 26:58.11 |
| 13 | FRA | Jimmy GRESSIER | 26:58.67 NR |
| 14 | KEN | Nicholas KIPKORIR | 27:23.97 |
| 15 | ERI | Merhawi MEBRAHTU | 27:24.25 |
| 16 | USA | William KINCAID | 27:29.40 |
| 17 | BRN | Birhanu BALEW | 27:30.94 SB |
| 18 | EOR | Jamal Abdelmaji EISA MOHAMMED | 27:35.92 PB |
| 19 | BEL | Isaac KIMELI | 27:51.52 |
| 20 | JPN | Jun KASAI | 27:53.18 |
| 21 | RWA | Yves NIMUBONA | 27:54.12 PB |
| 22 | UGA | Martin Magengo KIPROTICH | 28:20.72 PB |
| 23 | ESP | Abdessamad OUKHELFEN | 28:21.90 |
| 24 | JPN | Tomoki OTA | 29:12.48 |
| FRA | Yann SCHRUB | DNF | |
| BDI | Rodrigue KWIZERA | DNS | |
| BDI | Célestin NDIKUMANA | DNS |
