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The double world record holder has only limited time to try and emulate what Kenenisa Bekele and Mo Farah achieved especially with a switch to marathon running for him planned for 2025.
Joshua Cheptegei's coach Addy Ruiter has suggested that the long-distance runner is not under pressure to win double gold at either the Olympics or the World Championships.
Cheptegei currently holds both the 10,000m and 5,000m world records, with growing calls for him to try and win double gold at a major championship as a marker for his greatness.
But Ruiter insists that Cheptegei should watch his step, especially with the risk of injury that comes with chasing such lofty ambitions.
“For me personally, it is not important to win the double. There has never been pressure (on Cheptegei) to do that,” says Cheptegei's coach Addy Ruiter.
“In my opinion, that is something that comes more from the media. The most important thing is that you are winning one title.
“Alright, it’s nice when you can win another title, but we are in a generation with so many strong runners.”
“There are some athletes focusing only on the 5000m, and that makes it much more difficult to win both of them.
“We know he won the gold in the 5000m in Tokyo, but his strongest race is the 10,000m,” Ruiter suggested.
Winning the 5000m and 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships or Olympics is considered one of the marks of greatness in long-distance running, and Cheptegei has attempted to win doubles at both events recently.
Cheptegei came short of winning an Olympic double, in Tokyo two years ago, taking gold in the 5000m but finishing second behind Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega in the 10000m.
He also won gold in the 10,000m at the World Championships in Oregon last year, but suffered an injury ahead of the 5,000m final, going on to finish ninth, providing subtle evidence that he is human after all.
And there has been growing belief that Cheptegei could be gunning for double at the World Championships in August this year, especially on the back of a strong return from injury that saw him win the San Silvestre 10km road race in Madrid Spain.
But the lingering question is whether Cheptegei will now concentrate on only the 10000m race at the 2023 World Championships and Paris Olympics next year.
“We will see that around the time,” explains Ruiter, adding; “He will do the double only when he is fit.”
“He did well in Tokyo, although he missed out on gold in the 10,000m. So, the idea is still to go for the double again but first, we will wait and see how he comes out of the 10,000m.”
The double world record holder has only limited time to try and emulate what Kenenisa Bekele and Mo Farah achieved especially with a switch to marathon running for him planned for 2025.
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