Paris, 3 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei added the elusive Olympic 10,000 metres gold to his three world titles while the United States 4x400m mixed relay stormed into the final in world record time on Friday at the Paris Games.

World record holder Cheptegei won from the front in an Olympic record 26 minutes 43.14 seconds, after getting 5,000m gold and 10,000m silver at Tokyo 2020.

Berihu Aregawi saved face for Ethiopia with a late surge for silver, three-tenth adrift. Grant Fisher took bronze two-hundredths back, a first medal for the United States in 60 years since Billy Mills' 1964 gold.

Ethiopia's Selemon Barega, who beat Cheptegei for gold in Tokyo, had to settle for seventh in the first final at the packed Stade de France.

"I can’t describe the feeling. I’ve wanted this for a long time. When I took silver in Tokyo, I was disappointed. I wanted just to win the 10,000m," Cheptegei said.

Relay record

Eariler in the session, Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon and Kaylyn Brown clocked 3:07.41 minutes in the mixed relay heat taking 1.39 seconds off the previous world record from the US quartet at the 2023 worlds.

“We knew what the record was, we knew what it was going to take. Our job was just to come out and execute and tomorrow we’re going to do it again,” Norwood said.

France and Britain followed into Sunday's final with national records of 3:10.60 and 3:10.61, respectively. Tokyo gold medallists Poland are also through in the young discipline.

Neugebauer overnight decathlon leader

German favourite Leo Neugebauer led the decathlon at the halfway mark with 4,650 points but will take nothing for granted after fading to fifth after an overnight lead at last year's worlds.

Ayden Owens-Delerme of Puerto Rico is 42 points back and Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Damian Warner trails by 91 points in fourth.

Not present are world champion Pierce LePage of Canada and French world record holder and twice world champion Kevin Mayer because they are not fully fit.

Sprint stars advance

In other preliminary action, American world champion Sha'Carri Richardson eased through from the women's 100 metres heats in 10.94 seconds, with Jamaican veteran and twice gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce clocking 10.92.

Ivory Coast's Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith set the fastest time overall of 10.87 into Saturday's semi-finals, to be followed by the final in the same session.

Not present due to injury is Rio and Tokyo 100m and 200m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica.

Kipyegon, Mahuckikh, Ingebrigtsen also through

World champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya and Olympic champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands reached the women's 5,000m final from the same heat, and Ethiopian world record holder Gudaf Tsegay advanced as well.

Kipyegon will also run the 1,500m where she is the world record holder, having claimed the double at the 2023 worlds. Hassan will also do the 1,500m, and the 10,000m, having won 5,000m and 10,000m gold, plus 1,500m bronze, in Tokyo.

High jump world champion and world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh jumped 1.95m to soar into Sunday's final and boost her war-torn nation of Ukraine as it looks for a first Paris gold.

Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen conserved energy in the 1,500m heats as he seeks back-to-back golds and bids for a first global 1,500m/5,000m double after missing out at the last two worlds with 5,000m golds and 1,500m silvers.

British gold medal favourite Keely Hodgkinson advanced in the women's 800m in the absence of American Athing Mu, who beat her in Tokyo for gold but fell at the US trials for Paris.

Photo: Screenshot