Paris (AFP)

Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei, reigning 10,000m world champion, tackles the world record held by Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele on Wednesday in Valencia (Spain), already stripped of his 5,000m record by Cheptegei in August.

In this 2020 season truncated by the coronavirus (Olympics postponed, late resumption in August), Joshua Cheptegei has postponed his quest for medals and intends to continue to erase the legend of athletics Kenenisa Bekele.

"Because of the coronavirus this year I was not able to get medals, the best thing to do is therefore to chase records, there is no better year to try things a little crazy", a he estimated at a press conference.

Cheptegei, who at the age of 24 became the safe bet of the world background (silver in 2017 then gold in 2019 at the Worlds over 10,000 m, world cross country champion in 2019), has already stunned connoisseurs by reducing the mark by almost two seconds. the Ethiopian over 5,000 m on August 14 in Monaco (12 min 35 sec 36 against 12 min 37 sec 35).

In Valence, this time he tackles the mythical 10,000m record (26 min 17 sec 53), established in Brussels on August 26, 2005 by Bekele.

The 38-year-old Ethiopian, who has since been on the road, missed his appointment on Sunday with the London marathon due to a calf injury (surprise victory for the Ethiopian Shura Kitata, Eliud Kipchoge only 8th ).

- New debate on shoes -

“Cheptegei doesn't need my advice, Bekele said last week. I could give it to someone who hasn't broken a record yet. I wrote to him after the 5000m, people have to be congratulated who are successful. "

The two champions share the same managers, from the Dutch agency Global Sports Communication, which co-organizes the competition in Valencia with a 10,000 m designed for Cheptegei at 19:55 GMT, preceded at 19:34 GMT by a 5,000 m women.

Cheptegei is for the moment only the 18th performer in history over the distance (26: 48.36 in Doha in 2019), very far from the record.

But his feat over 5,000 m in August may give him hope, especially since he will be able to count on Wednesday on very high level hares (in particular the Kenyan Nicholas Kimeli, world finalist over 5,000 m) and on a system bright giving it the tempo along the track.

Her stratospheric times, like those of many athletes since last season, in particular the Dutchman Sifan Hassan (two world titles over 1,500 m and 10,000 m, hour record), have shifted the debate on the "magic shoes" of the road to the track.

The equipment manufacturer Nike has indeed produced two new models of pointe shoes, authorized by World Athletics, suspected of greatly improving performance, which no study has yet confirmed.

© 2020 AFP