Uganda’s Olympic 10,000 metres champion Joshua Cheptegei closed out the 2025 season on a high after winning the Tata Steel World 25K in Kolkata, India on Sunday.
Cheptegei outpaced world marathon champion Alphonce Simbu of Tanzania to take gold in a winning time of 1 hour, 11 minutes and 49 seconds.
Simbu finished seven seconds behind while Lesotho’s Tebello Ramakongoana claimed bronze in 1:11:59.
The two-time Olympic champion asserted control from the start, setting the tempo early and maintaining his lead throughout the race to secure victory in the World Athletics Gold Label event.
The Tata Steel World 25K Kolkata is the world’s first Gold Label race over the distance and is regarded as the biggest participatory sporting event in East India.
The victory crowns a mixed year for the Ugandan star, who, alongside compatriot Jacob Kiplimo, withdrew from representing Uganda at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Cheptegei began the season with a ninth-place finish at the Tokyo Marathon in March, went on to win a 10-kilometre road race in Bengaluru in April, and later finished fifth at the Amsterdam Marathon in October.
Attention now turns to whether Cheptegei, who has increasingly focused on road races, will be available to represent Uganda at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
