Joshua Cheptegei

Quick Facts

Full Name Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei
Date of Birth 12 September 1996
Birth Place Kapsewui, Uganda
Shortened Name Joshua Cheptegi
Religion Christianity
Nationality Ugandan
Ethnicity Not Known
Zodiac Sign Virgo
Age 25 years old
Height 167 cm (5’6″)
Weight 52 kg (115 lb)
Hair Color Black
Eye Color Black
Build Athletic
Parents Stephenson Kwalya Munerya
Mother’s Name Nadna Oyakawa
Siblings Two siblings: Rebeca Yori Oyakawa & Mariano Israel Mariano
Education Bachelor of Education (Bugema University)
Marital Status Married
Wife Carol Yeki
Children Jethan (son) & Jenima (daughter)
Profession Long-Distance Runner, Athlete
Team NN Running Team
Level Senior Distance Runner
Active Years 2015-present
Net Worth $4 million
Social Media InstagramTwitterFacebook
Coach Addy Ruiter
Sponsors Nike
Merch Running Merch
Last Update May, 2022

Joshua Cheptegei is a long-distance runner who won the 10,000 meter race at the 2019 World Championships. He is also the only guy in history to hold the world records for the 5,000 and 10,000 meters in the same year (2020).

What is the net worth and earnings of  Joshua Cheptegei?

Joshua Cheptegei  has undoubtedly had a successful professional career. He has been working on it for the past five years, after all.

So it’s reasonable to assume that his net worth is growing by the day. He has a net worth of $4 million, which has yet to be revealed. In the same way, his pay is likely to be in the millions.

He also makes money through his sponsor NIKE as well as other endorsement deals.

Cheptegei also has a large mansion with diverse automobile collections. He and his family live a luxury lifestyle.

Early Life of Long Distance Runner, Cheptegei

Cheptegei, the exceptional athlete, was born on September 12, 1996. Kapsewui, Kapchorwa District, is where the long-distance runner grew up.

In terms of nationality (tribe), he is of Ugandan descent and adheres to the Christian faith. His zodiac sign is Virgo, as he was born on September 12th.

Joshua Cheptegei Father

Similarly, Cheptegei is Stephenson Kwalya Munerya’s son. Unfortunately, nothing is known about his mother.His early years are mostly unknown; he keeps them hidden.

Education

Cheptegei has always enjoyed sports and activities. He was even a football player in high school. Despite his preference for football, he eventually moved to long jump and triple jump.

He eventually recognized that he was better suited to running. Cheptegei excelled in sports as well. He was also a bookworm and a studious student. As a result, he graduated from Bugema University with a Bachelor of Education (B.ed) degree.

Joshua is also a Uganda University employee who was coached by Addy Ruiter. Prior to turning professional, he competed for his university at the World Cross Country Championships, winning gold.

Professional Career of Joshua Cheptegei

In 2015, Cheptegei began his professional career. He finished 9th at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.

He also competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 5000 and 8000 meters races, finishing ninth and sixth respectively.

Joshua had an exceptional year in 2018, as he competed in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Queensland, Australia.

At this tournament, his performance was outstanding. He won gold in both the 5000 and 10,000 meter events.

Abrar Osman finished in second place with a time of 42:34. Muktar Edris came in third with a time of 42:56.

In the year 2019, Cheptegei set new records. At the 2019 IAAF Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, he won the senior men’s event.

The long-distance runner won the gold medal in the 5,000 meters race at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Cheptegei also shattered the record at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon by running a 15km split of 40:43 minutes.

Cheptegei Rise as a World Champion and Broke World Records

He set a new record in the 10 km Road Race in Valencia, Spain, in 2019. His time was 26:38, which was faster than his previous best.

Cheptegei established a new world record in a 5 km road race on February 16, 2020. Robert Keter (with 13:22) previously held the record in 2019.

In August 2020, Cheptegei set a new 5000-meter world record with a run of 12:35:36 in the Monaco Diamond League. He broke Kenenisa Bekele’s record, which had stood for sixteen years.

Joshua Cheptegei at Monaco Diamond League

When asked where he got the drive to break the record in Monaco, he stated the long quarantine imposed by the Coronavirus outbreak and the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics aided him.

Cheptegei beat the previous record by two seconds. 2:31.87, 5:03.77, 7:35.14, and 10:05.46 were his split times. Bekele used his Twitter account to congratulate Cheptegei after the race.

Furthermore, in October 2020, Cheptegei broke the world record in the 1000-meter running event in Valencia, setting a new mark of 26:11:00 while wearing Nike’s controversial Vaporfly Next percent shoes.

He was thought to be wearing Adidas sneakers, but he really wore Nike. He broke the record by 6 seconds as a consequence. Bekele established the previous record 15 years ago.

Cheptegi also won the Cannes 10Km in 26 minutes and 49 seconds in 2022.

Joshua Cheptegei Awards and Accomplishments

Undoubtedly, Cheptegei has set several records throughout his professional career. Certainly, there are more to come. So let’s have a look at the awards and highlights he has made so far:

  • Won the gold medal in 10000 meters race at 2010 IAAF World Athletics, Doha.
  • Bagged Silver Medal at 2017 World Championships London.
  • Received Gold medal at both 5000 meters and 10,000 meters at the Common Wealth Games, Australia.
  • Earned Gold at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, held in Denmark.
  • Won Gold at 2014 World Junior Championships, Eugene, Oregon, USA.
  • Won Gold Medal at the World Cross Country Championships, representing his University in 2014. 

Age, Height, and Other Facts about Joshua Cheptegei

Cheptegei, the world’s best runner, is 25 years old.

He stands 5 feet 6 inches tall on average (about 1.67m). He also weighs approximately 52 kg thanks to his excellent diet and regular workouts (115 lbs).

Both his hair and eyes are black. His chest, waist, and biceps measurements are 35-30-14.

Cheptegei’s Personal Life

Carol Yeko, Cheptegei’s girlfriend, was married. The super couple currently has two children. Jethan is the name of their son, while Jenima is the name of their daughter.

Joshua’s wife is unquestionably a kind mother and a loving wife. She is there for her spouse at all times of his life.

Yeko is from a pious family. She is a Christian who believes in God. Jessica Chesiakit, her mother, was essential in her religious commitment.

Her background revealed that she hailed from a low-income household. Her father served as a role model for her. Unfortunately, her father died while she was just 14 years old.

Joshua Cheptegi with his Family

To me, my father was everything. I looked up to him because he was an inspiration. His death was the most devastating blow and one of the lowest points in my life.

Despite the loss of her father, she stayed strong. Yeko graduated from East High School in Ntinda, Kampala, with an A level. She went on to Uganda Technical College to study Civil Engineering and graduated in 2014.

She then graduated from Ndejje University with a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 2018. Jessica also has nine additional siblings, four of them are older and the rest younger.

Outside Running Career

Cheptegei is a philanthropist in addition to his career. He not only believes in social work, but he also supports it financially.

She founded the “Cheptegei Development Foundation” in 2014 with his wife Yeko. The organization’s mission is to help poor and impoverished youngsters.

In addition, Yeko stated:

“We started the foundation because we wanted to offer opportunities to talented young people from poor backgrounds. We also provide funding for brilliant children to access education.”

Aside from that, they have an annual event. Parents register their children to compete in the activities, and the foundation awards education scholarships to the top three contestants.

The charity is also concerned about girls’ education and provides sanitary pads to help with menstruation hygiene.

Apart from jogging, Cheptegei enjoys watching football. In reality, football was his first passion, and his favorite player is Robert Lewandowski.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the 5000 world record of Joshua Cheptegei?

The 5k world record of Joshua Cheptegei is 12:35.36.

Who is the coach of Joshua Cheptegei?

Addy Ruiter coaches Joshua Cheptegei. 

What is the average speed of Joshua Cheptegei?

The average speed of Joshua Cheptegei is 60.43 seconds per lap or 4:03.07 per mile or 7:33.21 for 3,000 meters. Likewise, his stride length is around laps 10 and 15.

What happened to Joshua Cheptegei?

Joshua suffered from a knee injury in the year 2018, due to which he missed half of the current athletics season games after being kept on the injured list.

What is the weekly training session of Joshua?

Joshua takes at least 12 training sessions per week. However, after May 2020, he reduced his training session from 12 to 8.

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