Police to promote Cheptegei to ASP rank as reward for raising Uganda’s flag high

The Police Advisory Committee (PAC) has recommended Ugandan long distance runner, Joshua Cheptegei, for a promotion from his current rank of Inspector of Police (IP) to his next rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).

This was revealed by Uganda Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga during a media briefing on Monday.

Enanga further said that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Martins Okoth Ochola  also tasked the Director of Logistics and Engineering to allocate a Double Cabin Pick-up and a Coaster Mini-bus to the Police Athletics team to support their training in Kapchorwa.

Early this month, Cheptegei made Ugandans proud when he smashed the 10,000m world record in a time of 26 minutes 11.00 seconds in Valencia, beating Kenenisa Bekele’s 15-year-old time by more than six seconds.

Speaking to the media shortly before the race, a very confident Cheptegei assured the world that his dream in the game is to become the fastest long distance runner in history and the day’s performance indeed proved he has what it takes to achieve the fit.

He said the performance would serve as a springboard for achieving the long-term set objectives in the athletic game.

“I wanted to live to the expectation of the Valencia World Record Day, so it means the world to me that I fulfil my dream. We are trying to write history into the track. We want the world to know that the track is still exciting, so we give it our all so that sports lovers can have the benefit of their time. I think this lays a foundation of what I can achieve and what’s still to come. We live in a difficult time of Covid. And this event can still give us joy and hope for tomorrow,”Cheptegei said.

Cheptegei’s success marked his fourth world record in 10 months, having broken the 10km road best in December and the 5km road record in February.

At the Monaco Diamond League in August, he broke another of Bekele’s world records, beating his 16-year-old mark in the 5,000m by two seconds.