Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei will headline Uganda’s team at the 2026 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, competing in the men’s half marathon on Sept. 20.
Cheptegei, 28, said the championship is part of his buildup to the marathon and an opportunity to test himself against a deep international field.
“I love to be challenged, and that’s why I choose strong competitions with some of the elite runners,” Cheptegei told Uganda Radio Network.
He has been training in Kapchorwa under coach Addy Ruiter, focusing on building the fitness and endurance needed for the 21.0975-kilometer race.
The Copenhagen championships, scheduled for Sept. 19–20, will feature world titles in the one-mile, 5-kilometer and half-marathon events. The one-mile and 5km races are set for Sept. 19, while the men’s elite half marathon begins at 9:45 a.m. local time on Sept. 20.
Organizers expect about 65,000 runners to participate across championship and mass races, making it one of the year’s largest road-running events.
The half marathon course winds through Copenhagen’s streets and is expected to draw a competitive international field. For Cheptegei, the race marks another step in his transition from track and cross-country to longer road events.
Uganda Athletics has not yet named its final 12-athlete squad and officials for the championships. The federation held selection trials on Aug. 15 in Tororo, with athletes vying for spots in the mile, 5km and half-marathon.
“We shall unleash the squad as soon as we are done with the technical meeting, now that we’ve already carried out a selection trial,” Okello said.
The selection trial is expected to provide the federation with an opportunity to assess athletes across the three championship distances before submitting the final contingent.
Isa Kosgei, a coach at Uganda Prisons Athletics Club, says the quality of competition during the Tororo trials gives him confidence that Uganda will field a competitive team.
He says the trials were highly competitive, providing the technical team with a strong basis for selecting athletes capable of performing at the global event.
“Uganda has strong athletes, and with the competition we have seen during the trial, we believe the team will be strong,” Kosgei said.
The Copenhagen 26 championships are expected to attract the global elite alongside thousands of recreational runners. World Athletics says about 65,000 runners are expected to participate across the championship and mass-participation races, making the event one of the biggest road-running gatherings of the year.
Uganda will be hoping that Cheptegei’s experience at the highest level of international athletics will inspire the rest of the team as the country seeks strong performances in Copenhagen.
The championships will also provide Cheptegei with an important competitive test as he continues building towards his marathon ambitions, while giving Uganda’s emerging road-running athletes an opportunity to measure themselves against the world’s best.
