Uganda, March 29 -- Unlike powerhouses Kenya and Ethiopia, Uganda has not bossed the grand stage of global athletics for long. The East African nation's head rose first high at the 2017 World Cross-country Championships in front of President Museveni in Kololo.

Joshua Cheptegei was on his way to a senior men's 12km gold medal and then, he stumbled. But, Jacob Kiplimo powered to junior men's 8km gold, fully announcing himself to the world on March 26, 2017.

Uganda has claimed the top men's titles at the ensuing World Cross-country editions: Cheptegei taking gold and bronze while Kiplimo got silver and gold, all respectively at the Aarhus 2019 and Bathurst 2023 editions in Denmark and Australia.

A year after Bathurst, Cheptegei and Kipli...