TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Uganda Athletics opened its 2026 international season with a historic performance at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships this weekend, securing seven medals in what officials described as the nation’s best showing ever.
Led by Jacob Kiplimo, the 26-member contingent earned a record haul at Apalachee Regional Park. Benjamin Njia, Uganda Athletics vice president for technical, called the feat the country’s best performance in the history of the event.
Kiplimo cemented his status as a long-distance legend by winning the senior men’s 10km race. The victory marked his third consecutive world cross-country title, a “three-peat” that places him in the company of greats such as John Ngugi, Paul Tergat and Kenenisa Bekele.
The 25-year-old navigated a challenging course featuring sand, steep slopes and log hurdles to finish in 28 minutes, 18 seconds, well ahead of Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi and Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo.
“I was happy to cross the finish line first for the third consecutive time,” Kiplimo said. “I enjoyed the course; it was real nice. I am happy for my gold, but also for the team.”
The Ugandan women’s teams also broke long-standing barriers. Charity Cherop, 18, took bronze in the junior women’s 6km, becoming the first non-Kenyan or Ethiopian athlete to reach that podium since 2000. Her performance anchored the junior women’s team to a historic gold medal, making Uganda only the third nation to win that team title since 1989.
In the senior women’s 10km, Joy Cheptoyek secured an individual silver medal with a time of 32:10, finishing just behind Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich.
Uganda collected team medals in nearly every category, including silver in the junior men’s 8km and bronze in both senior team races. This seven-medal total surpasses the country’s previous record of six medals set during the 2019 championships in Aarhus, Denmark.
While the senior men’s team took bronze, the race was not without setbacks. Dan Kibet, the reigning national champion, was forced to withdraw in the final kilometer due to an injury after leading early in the race.
