Cheptegei enters the legend of time

Annie Leibovitz portrayed the mysterious’ 90s glamor Carl Lewis simulating a walk with heels. More than heels, American divo wore high heels. The image was created by a tire brand that wanted to show its slogan graphically: “Uncontrolled power is useless,” or whatever it is, you will break your nerve if you try to run 100 meters in less than 10 seconds, or drive a utility vehicle in a hundred hours, Without the right shoes or wheels.

To the new world record holder of 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, Joshua ChiptegeHe had an excess of strength and was lacking control when he wanted to eat the world at the age of 20. Now that she is devoured by world records (four, more than Usain Bolt), fundamentalists in the sport point out that she is sport shoes, Rather than his legs, as partly “guilty” of his success.

Uncontrolled running

In 2017, the World Cup cross-country was held in Kampala, capital of Uganda, and Cheptegei was part of the local team that faced, among others, the two unbeaten friends from Kenya and Ethiopia. The heat pushed the courageous champion to stand at the helm of the race, even making his countrymen think the victory was his.

In the final stage, he became dehydrated and drowned, the Ugandan apprentice fainted in such a way that the jubilant crowd couldn’t speak. Chaptegi zigzags in search of the target, aiming chaotically at what we know in Spanish as “Pajara”. At only 500 meters he went from one head to the other in the 30th position until the Ugandan Prime Minister went down to the dressing room to comfort and encourage the kamikaze runner.

Then the young Joshua learned a lesson that served him in entering the time legend through the front door.

Last Wednesday at the circuit Turia StadiumWhen he succeeded in stripping Keninasa Bekele of her 10,000-meter record, which had been in place for 15 years, the 24-year-old Ugandan athlete offered an insurmountable referee lesson: he covered Nine kilometers, recording a speed of 2.37 minutes per thousand meters, Tenths up or down, without leaving an iota of text laid down by his Dutch coach Addy Reuter. He only accelerated in the final section, is already sure of his strength and with a margin of five seconds within his record.

Cattle thieves

Cheptegei started athletics with his father, A runner out of necessity after cattle thieves. In essence, the young Ugandan continues to do the same thing his father does to earn a living: jogging, in his case against that fiery force that steals our lives, which we humans call time. For this, he and his environment were not involved in equipping themselves with the best technology possible.

Cheptegei’s first challenge in trying to be the best and endurance to the end was overcoming his repeated injuries, caused by training on rough and uneven terrain. Kapchorwa is a small town located at the foot of Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano that serves as the border between western Kenya and eastern Uganda. Cheptegei resides and trains there with the group led and advised by the Dutch Jurrie van der Velden.

The frustrated contestant found the solution to his physical problems when he collected 60,000 euros in trophies, which he invested in machinery to create a dirt track that was as flat and smooth as possible. His pledge paid off and months later, against all odds, he won the World Cross Cup held in Aarhus in 2019, which resulted in the Ugandan first team winning over Kenya and Ethiopia.

In August 2020 and in the midst of a pandemic, Cheptegei, with Two world records on the road (10 thousand and 15 thousand) In his closet, he was able to count on his government’s help to charter a plane and leave his country for Europe. In Monaco he achieved him The first world track record at 5,000 meters. And last Wednesday at Estadi del Túria that it was 10,000, Both of them yet Kennesa Bekele.

Arguing

The criticism, in this particular case, is focused on the use of dragonfly, Nails Nike Evolved from controversies Faborfly s AlFly, With what Eliud Kipchog ran out of the two-hour marathon in Vienna. Interestingly, one of the arguments put forward by the Guardians of Technology Ethics at ground level is unbearably aesthetic: the four-centimeter-high-lightweight foam sole makes the athlete look like he’s running high heels or Crocs shoes.

Anyway, the International Federation gave Go ahead with purchasing highly desirable shoes, Not only for its quality but also for this free ad. Cheptegei’s response to this ridiculous controversy was fair: “When I won the Crossovers World Cup and 10,000 in Doha or Diamond League events, no one spoke about my shoes. When I hit the record, boom! Anyway, the only thing I think was now a challenge. Else, ‘the Ugandan said via his Instagram account, realizing more than ever that it’s not worth being distracted from nonsense. Another way to train self-control.