Commonwealth: Kiprop Misses Medal as Uganda Ends Athletics with One Bronze

Kenneth Kiprop narrowly missed out on a medal after finishing fifth in the men’s 5000m final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Kiprop stayed in medal contention throughout a closely contested race that saw about a dozen athletes together heading into the final lap.

He clocked 13:25.70, finishing just behind the medal positions.

Kenya’s Matthew Kipsang won gold in 13:23.51, with Australia’s Ky Robinson taking silver in 13:24.70 and India’s Gulveer Singh claiming bronze in 13:24.95.

Uganda’s other competitor Daniel Kibet finished 12th in 13:33.93, while Oscar Chelimo did not start the race.

The result brought Uganda’s athletics campaign to a close with Peruth Chemutai’s bronze medal in the women’s 3000m steeplechase remaining the country’s only medal from track and field.

Samuel Simba Cherop, Esther Chebet and other athletes came close but missed out on podium finishes in the men’s 10,000m, women’s 10,000m and women’s 5000m races.

It also marked the first time in 20 years that Uganda failed to win an athletics gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, with the last occurrence coming at the 2006 Games in Melbourne.

All of Uganda’s gold medals in that period had come from athletics, with the majority achieved in the 5000m and 10,000m events.

Stella Chesang’s unexpected 10,000m victory at the 2018 Commonwealth Games was among the highlights of that run.

With Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo having transitioned to road running, Uganda Athletics now faces a rebuilding phase as a new generation of track athletes takes centre stage after Glasgow.