Kiplimo, 24, became the first person to run the half-marathon in under 57 minutes when he set a stunning world record of 56 minutes, 42 seconds in Barcelona this year.

Cheptegei, 28, won gold in the 5,000 metres at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and in the 10,000 metres at last year’s Paris Games, but finished ninth in the Tokyo Marathon in March this year.

Uganda’s Olympic Committee President Don Rukare said it was “unfortunate” that the two stars would miss the championship in the Japanese capital.

“We are respecting the personal reasons the two have earlier advanced,” Rukare told AFP.

“We are having consultations on the way forward but there should not be any reason for Ugandans and sports enthusiasts to be alarmed,” he added.

Uganda is yet to release the list of athletes set to compete at the World Championships, which will be held from September 13–21.