Canada’s Mohammed Ahmed wins silver in 10,000m nail-biter at Commonwealth Games

An epic battle right to the very last stride. @Moh_Speed collects his second silver medal of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in a thrilling finish to the Men's 10,000m! ? #GC2018 #GoldCoast2018 #GoldCoastGoldRush pic.twitter.com/WRbX9rtuB4

— DAZN Canada (@DAZN_CA) April 13, 2018

Canada’s Mohammed Ahmed, silver medallist in the 5,000m earlier this week at the Commonwealth Games, tried desperately to defend his 2014 gold medal from Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei today, but ended up having to settle for silver. Cheptegei became only the third man in the history of the games to win both the 5,000 and 10,000m contests.

RELATED: Canada’s Mohammed Ahmed takes silver in the 5,000m at Commonwealth Games

Ahmed tried to establish dominance by taking the lead with four laps still to go, checking his shoulder repeatedly, holding off the Ugandan as long as he could and trying to sprint away from him with two laps left. The two separated from the rest of the pack, with Ahmed accelerating wildly, well before the bell lap, and lapping two men at the back of the pack on their way to the finish line.

MEDAL ALERT: It's a silver medal for Mohammed Ahmed in the 10,000m! ? pour @Moh_Speed en athlétisme – 10,000m #LiveTheMoment @AthleticsCanada pic.twitter.com/rT3BJClcUA

— Commonwealth Sport Canada (@CwthSportCAN) April 13, 2018

Ultimately Ahmed could not hold him off, and Cheptegei sprinted to victory, breaking the games record of 27:45.39 (set in 2002) with a time of 27:19.62. Ahmed followed him across the line, utterly spent, in 27:20.56. 

Kenya’s Rodgers Kwemoi took the bronze (27:28.66).