Star Runner Cheptegei leads Uganda’s Team to Australia World Cross Country Championship.

Star runner Joseph Cheptegei, who is the world record holder in the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m, is part of the Ugandan team that traveled on Tuesday ahead of the World Cross Country Championship in Bathurst, Australia slated for February 18 this year.

 “We have a good team in both senior and junior levels and we are confident of coming back with medals. We know we shall face tough competition from Ethiopia and Kenya, but we have prepared well enough,” Cheptegei told Xinhua before departure.

Head coach Francis Damai also said he is optimistic the team is well-prepared and should be able to perform well. “We generally have a good team in all categories in seniors and junior levels,” added the coach.

Uganda’s team will have six senior male and six women runners, along with six junior male runners and five junior female runners.

Uganda, who reaped one individual gold, silver and bronze plus team gold, silver and bronze medals at the last edition in Aarhus in 2019, are expected to defend their titles on February 18 with Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo back in form after a spell with injuries.

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Kenya’s two-time winner Geoffrey Kamworor is expected to be the single threat to the two Ugandan stars.

At the team’s month long training camp at Trinity Biblical Institute – Kapchorwa, World Champion Cheptegei was Saturday named captain of Uganda. The team has been training since January 9th under the watchful eye of Coach Benjamin Njia.

The Uganda junior men’s team will also participate in coming event though participants have been cut by half, after three athletes failed to secure visas to travel to Australia.

Silas Rotich, Allan Kibet and Feb Chelogoi who were the 2nd, 4th and 5th best of the national junior team, were left behind at Entebbe on Monday night when the rest of the team flew out to join captain Joshua Cheptegei who is alrady in Bathurst.  Rotich was the second best runner on the team.

Sources at the Uganda Athletics Federation say visas were denied after the three failed to secure their parent’s IDs in time.