Ugandan star athlete Joshua Cheptegei has set a 2022 season world-leading time of 26 minutes and 49 seconds over the 10km in Cannes, France.

Cheptegei 25, crossed the finishing line of the 10km road race ahead of Kenya’s Samuel Habtom, a distant 27 minutes and 51 seconds behind, while Uganda’s Abel Sikowo came third, posting 27.58 minutes.

It was the first race for the world 5,000 and 10,000m record holder.

Though this was Cheptegei’s first race of the season, the 25-year-old impressively managed to record the sixth-fastest ever 10km, something he hoped bodes well for the year ahead.

“I thank God almighty for the grace to run strong again after a long time. I am optimistic that this year God will do something great,” Cheptegei said.

Eritrea’s Habtom Samuel and Uganda’s Boniface Abel Sikowo came in second and third, respectively, in times of 27:51 and 27:58.