Uganda’s athletics star targets gold at 2018 Commonwealth Games

Kampala: Uganda's star runner Joshua Cheptegei says he is hungry for a gold medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia.

Cheptegei told Xinhua news agency on Wednesday that he is giving his 100 percent to ensure he wins the country a gold medal in the 5,000m race.

The 2017 World Athletics Championship 10,000m silver medallist is among Uganda's medal hopefuls in the absence of the 2012 London Olympic marathon gold medallist Stephen Kiprotich and Moses Kipsiro, who won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.

Cheptegei started the 2018 season in style by winning the 2018 Cross Internacional de Italica in January. He finished seventh in the 1,500m race at the Athletix Grand Prix 1 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"I have been responding well in training and I am now looking forward to prove a point in Australia. I have opted to run only in the 5,000m and leave out the 10,000m because it would tire me yet I have another race early next month," said Cheptegei.

Besides Cheptegei, Uganda will also look to win Commonwealth Games medals from Solomon Munyo Mutai who won a marathon silver medal at the 2015 World Championships in China, in-form U-20 World Cross Country champion Jacob Kiplimo and the five boxers.

The event is scheduled to run from April 4-15.

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland, Uganda won only one gold medal through Moses Kipsiro (10,000m), two other bronze medals in athletics and two bronze in boxing through Mike Sekabembe (Super heavyweight ) and Fazil Juma Kaggwa (light flyweight).