Uganda’s long distance runner Oscar Chelimo has progressed to the Men’s 5000m final due Sunday at the ongoing 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

He came fifth in Heat Two in a time of 13:33.40, just enough to advance as the first eight in each of the two Heats qualified to the final.

It was a comfortable performance for Chelimo who improved from ninth at the bell.

Luis Grijalva (Guatemala) won the Heat, followed by Yomif Kejelcha (Ethiopia), Mohammed Ahmed (Canada) and Berihu Aregawi (Ethiopia).

Chelimo who won Bronze last year in this event at the World Championships in Oregon, will be hoping for similar or better fortunes come Sunday.

And he will be out there alone on track after Joshua Cheptegei pulled out with an injury, and the same can be said of Chelimo’s half brother Jacob Kiplimo who did not go to Budapest after an injury in Kapchorwa.

Defending champion from Oregon Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) and Spain’s Mohammed Katir will be the other athletes to look out for in Sunday’s final.

Chelimo who won Bronze in 3000m at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, is competing at his third World Championships including in 2019 Doha where he failed to qualify for the final.

Uganda’s Sprinter Tarsis Orogot missed out on a place in the Men’s 200m final.

He finished third in his Heat after clocking 20:26, but his time was not good enough to go through as a non-automatic qualifier.

Top two earned automatic places in the final.

On Friday, Uganda’s Halimah Nakaayi will be in action in the Women’s 800m semifinals.