Cheruiyot: How I won the 1500m gold

Gold medallist Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot poses on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Men's 1500m at the 2019 IAAF Athletics World Championships at the Khalifa International stadium in Doha on October 6, 2019. PHOTO | MUSTAFA ABUMUNES |

What you need to know:

  • Cheruiyot destroyed the field to win the national trials at Nyayo to set the stage for the Doha World Championships.
  • Cheruiyot exploits brought Kenya’s medal tally to 10: five gold, two silver and three bronze with javelin and 10,000m races to go.

Timothy Cheruiyot has finally exorcised the demons that had seen him play second fiddle in many championship events to bring the world to its knees.

That he finished second to his training mate Elijah Manang’oi three times at the 2017 World Championships, 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2018 Africa Championships goes without saying.

Despite having won the Diamond League Trophy three times in 2017, 2018 and 2019, the 23-year-old Cheruiyot had not secured a championship gold.

The hurting and long wait is finally over for Cheruiyot, who was promoted recently to the rank of Inspector at Kenya Prisons Service.

Cheruyiot delivered the victory in an explosive way, leading from start to finish and clocking three minutes and 29.26 seconds, beating the 2012 Olympic 1,500 champion Taoufik Makhloufi from Algeria in 3:31.38 as Polish Marcin Lewandowski clocked a national record of 3:31.46 for bronze.

Coached by Ben Ouma at the Rongai Athletics Club, Cheruiyot’s journey into the elite world of athletics started when he finished third in 800m at the National Junior Championships in 2014.

The reigning national 800m champion has managed to stamp his authority in the 1,500m race.

Cheruiyot fully embraced the metric mile race in 2015, winning the Nakuru and Eldoret Athletics Kenya Weekend meets on his way to making his debut in the Diamond League the same year at the Prefontiane Classic in Oregon, USA.

Though he failed to finish the race, he was placed second in the Rabat leg before going on to win the Kenya Prisons Championships. He later came second at the nationals, losing to former three-time World champion Asbel Kiprop.

Cheruiyot settled fifth in the Kenyan trials, but was picked for the 2015 World Championships where he reached the final to finish seventh on his debut in the event.

He was part of the team that went on to win silver in the medley event at the World Relay Championships in 2015.

The highlight of the 2016 was at the Rio Olympics and his maiden Diamond League win in Rabat.

The athlete would win the Diamond League Series trophy in 2017 with victory in Zurich just days after he claimed silver at the London World Championships, and losing to training mate Elijah Manang’oi of Rongai Athletics Club.

Cheruiyot might have won the Kenyan trials, but would once again play second fiddle to Manang’oi at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia.

That failed to dampen his spirits as he went on to win the Shanghai Diamond League, won the famous Mile Race at Prefontaine before chalking his best in 1,500m with victory in 3:28.41 in Monaco. Cheruiyot went on to retain his Diamond League Trophy title in Zurich.

This year, Cheruiyot swept to victory in 800m at the Kenya Prisons and National Championships where he set the second fastest time on Kenyan soil of 1:43.11 at the Nationals on August 22.

The Prisons officer went on to wrap up his hat-trick of Diamond League Trophy titles with victory in Brussels on September 6, running 3:30.22.

Cheruiyot destroyed the field to win the national trials at Nyayo to set the stage for the Doha World Championships.

Cheruiyot exploits brought Kenya’s medal tally to 10: five gold, two silver and three bronze with javelin and 10,000m races to go.