Joshua Cheptegei is a track and field athlete who has competed for Uganda.
He competed at the 2016, 2020, and 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
After faring poorly at Rio de Janeiro 2016, Cheptegei returned to his second Games in Tokyo five years later as a top medal favorite and the double world-record holder. In the 10,000 metres, he cruised from the back of the field to chase the leader Selemon Barega with only a lap left but he could not catch him towards the line to complete the race with a silver (27:43.63). In the 5000 metres, he came from behind to take a strong lead towards the finish line and snatched the gold at 12:58.15. With this feat, he became the first Ugandan athlete to win an Olympic gold in a track event since John Akii-Bua topped the podium in the 400 metres hurdles at Munich 1972. He also joined a list of Olympians to win the 5000 metres race with a world record at the Games, following Hannes Kolehmainen, Paavo Nurmi, Lauri Lehtinen, and Kenenisa Bekele.
