Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Athletics - Men's 10000m - OLS - Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - July 30, 2021. Selemon Barega of Ethiopia celebrates after winning the final REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
TOKYO (Reuters) - The Olympic athletics programme opened with a huge surprise and a shock disqualification on Friday as Ethiopian youngster Selemon Barega claimed a stunning 10,000 metres gold and the U.S. blew their chances in the 4x400m mixed relay.
There was only one gold up for grabs, in the last event of the opening day, but it was worth the wait as Ugandan world record holder Joshua Cheptegei allowed the 21-year-old Barega to escape and win in 27 minutes 43.22 seconds before celebrating with an infield dance on a sultry night.
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