Uganda long distance runner Joshua Cheptegei on the evening of New Year Eve capped 2022 in style by winning the San Silvestre Vallecana in Madrid, Spain.
Cheptegei, who had paid a visit to the Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu earlier in the day came atop a pack of runners with a winning time of 27 minutes and 9 seconds.
It was Cheptegei’s first race since getting knee problems in the 5000m final at the Oregon World Athletics Championships in July 2022.
Spanish duo Mohamed “Mo” Katir El Haouzi and Jesús Ramos finished second and third respectively with a time of 27:11 and 27:53.
The San Silvestre Vallecana is an annual 10 km road race held on 31 December in Madrid, Spain since 1964. It has two editions: a fun run for amateur athletes and an elite race for professional athletes. In 2012, the race achieved its historical record of participants, up to 40,000.
It is based upon the Saint Silvester Road Race, a Brazilian race (held since 1925) which spawned numerous other New Year’s Eve races. Along with the Madrid Marathon, the San Silvestre Vallecana is one of the city’s foremost annual running events.
