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Ugandan athlete Leonard Chemutai has secured a spot in the final of the men’s 3000m steeplechase at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
He achieved this feat by finishing second in Heat 1 with a season-best time of 8:18.19.
Chemutai’s impressive performance trailed only defending Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco, who won Heat 1 with a time of 8:17.90.
This marks another milestone in Chemutai’s rapidly ascending career, following his recent gold medal win in the 3000m steeplechase at the African Championships in Douala, Cameroon, in June 2024.
Joining Chemutai in the final are Getnet Wale of Ethiopia (third place), Daniel Arce of Spain (fourth place), and Ahmed Jaziri of Tunisia (fifth place). The highly anticipated final is scheduled for Wednesday.
Chemutai’s athletic career has been on the rise, with notable performances including:
- Seventh place in the Men’s 3000m steeplechase at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya
- Fourth place at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia
- Victory in the U20 classic mountain race at the Trail World Championships in 2022
- Victory in the senior race at the same championships in 2023
- Twelfth place in the final of the 3000m steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 2023.
Joshua Cheptegei won Uganda’s first medal at the 2024 Olympics games in Paris after having finished first in the 10000m race at the Stade de France on Saturday evening.
