Uganda, March 19 -- Joshua Cheptegei did not have to do much. He actually allowed to take the back seat for the majority of his first race of 2024 on Saturday.

The three-time reigning world 10000m champion is a happy man after securing his ticket for the 25-lap distance to the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Cheptegei did as required and ran under 27 minutes on a windless afternoon with 15 degrees Celsius during the Laredo 10K near Spain's northern coast.

The 27-year-old posted a time of 26 minutes and 53 seconds to settle for second place behind Ethiopian challenger Yomif Kejelcha. "Mission accomplished!" Cheptegei reacted.

The result was a big relief after having a tough 42km debut during the Valencia Marathon in Spain back in early December....