The man who beat the light:

by Reemus Fernando

Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei completed a remarkable double this month as he broke Kenenisa Bekele’s long-held track world record in the 10,000 metres to follow up his 5,000 metres record established in August. When he set records in the two longest track events Cheptegei also beat a series of flashing lights which raced behind him from start to finish along the edge of the inner track. Wavelight technology, a system of flashing lights that helps runners keep pace with record times, was used this year in track events. However, Addy Ruiter, whose coaching brains supported Cheptegei’s record breaking efforts believes that new technology is especially helpful for the spectators and the viewers at home than runners. He said this in an interview with The Island a few days after Cheptegei returned from the World Half Marathon in Poland.

“In Monaco (where he broke the 5000 metres world record) Joshua never saw the light. After 3200 metres the light was behind him. In Valencia he was using the light in the second part of the race, but I don’t believe that the lights are helping a lot. We saw this season already enough races where athletes couldn’t follow the lights. The lights are helpful to the spectators and the (TV) viewers at home,” said the Dutchman, whose charge has now established himself as the dominant distance runner of his generation.

In August Cheptegei slashed nearly two seconds off the 2004 world record of Bekele in creating the new 5,000 metres mark (12:35.36 secs) and on October 7 clocked 26:11.00 seconds to take 6.53 seconds off the Ethiopian’s 10,000 metres world record established in 2005.

“I started coaching Joshua five years ago. Joshua and Global Sports Communication gave me the opportunity to build up his career step by step according to my vision. It is great to see as a coach when he achieves this kind of performances.”

With back-to-back world records against his name, Cheptegei was expected to carry his success on the track to road events by winning the World Half Marathon, which was held in Poland last week. He was placed fourth.

Ruiter said: “In March, he was perfectly prepared for the World Half Marathon but they postponed it. This time around, he was only prepared for the 5,000 and 10,000 metres World Records attempts. During the last period, we didn’t do long runs. By the race day in Poland he had also not totally recovered from the effort put in to Valencia (10,000metres record) and his endurance part was not good enough for such an effort. But it was important for Joshua to represent his country,”

Cheptegei first won at international level when he clinched the World U20 Championships 10,000 metres title in 2014 as a 17-year-old. A double gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships, Olympic titles are the only laurels not in the 24-year-old’s possession. Ruiter said that periodization of Cheptegei’s preparation was different than what athletes normally did but they would not be revealed until at least 2024.

With the Olympics postponed to 2021 will he be attempting another record performance in Tokyo?

“In Tokyo, you are only running for the medals and the time is totally not important. When there is a possibility in 2021, then Joshua will try to break his own World Records.”

Covid 19 pandemic has impacted many athletes adversely. Asked for comment on how the pandemic had affected him and your trainee he had this to say:

“It was and is of course a difficult time for everyone. For most athletes there were no possibilities to run races. For the training it was very helpful. The athlete was still motivated because it gave us the possibility to train without interruptions of races.”

Ruiter has some 20 Uganda athletes, 15 in Kapchorwa and five in Kampala training under his guidance. Halimah Nakaayi, who won the 800 metres title at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, is also trained by him.

Ruiter has visited many countries and it was his love for traveling that has helped him take an easy decision to be in Uganda to coach their athletes.

“I did a lot of traveling in my life and have visited 98 countries. So I’m used to it and not to being in the Netherlands and to be in other cultures. So, when they did ask me for this job, I did not have to think about it twice.”

With the World Records now under Cheptegei’s belt what would be the plan Ruiter has now for his champion athlete?

“With the pandemic, that is a difficult question to answer. We hope that Joshua is having the opportunity to break his own World Records in the 5,000 and 10.000 metres but most important thing is trying to win the double at the Olympic Games.”