Athletes

A prodigious junior talent, Vivian Cheruiyot has finally developed into one of the world’s finest 5000m track runners.

Born in the rural Keiyo district in Kenya’s Rift Valley, running soon became her way of life and she enjoyed her first taste of international competition at the tender age of 15 when she finished fifth in the junior race at the 1998 World Cross Country Championships.

The following year in Belfast she took the silver medal and also showed her potential on the track by winning the 3000m bronze medal at the IAAF World Youth Championships.

Cheruiyot continued to progress and enjoyed a stellar season in 2000: she won gold in the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships and reached the 5000m final, aged just 17, at the Olympic Games (she finished 14th). But after that she committed to finishing her schooling and the last two years of her junior career were a shade disappointing.

However, those who thought they had seen the last of the diminutive Kenyan were mistaken. She returned to major competition in 2006, running the Short Course race at the World Cross Country Championships; she finished eighth. Later that summer she hacked more than 23 seconds from her 5000m PB – which had stood since the Sydney Olympics – with a 14:47.43 performance in Brussels.

But Cheruiyot truly arrived as a world-class athlete in 2007. On an historic night in Oslo she recorded the second-fastest 5000m time by a woman – 14:22.51 – to finish runner-up to Meseret Defar’s world record: 14:16.63 (since beaten by Tirunesh Dibaba). Performing with new-found vigour, Cheruiyot won the 5000m silver – behind Defar – at the World Championships and ended the season on a high with victory in the IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart.

The 2008 season proved a shade disappointing after the huge progression made the previous season. The Kenyan had to settle for fifth in the 5000m final at the Olympic Games in Beijing, although she ended the track campaign on a high, finishing second to Defar in the 3000m and 5000m at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart.

The early signs are Cheruiyot is rediscovering her best form in 2009. She set a national indoor 3000m record of 8:30.53 in Birmingham and also posted a 10km road race PB of 31:17 to win the World's Best 10km in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Possessing a ‘killer’ kick finish and able to run at an explosive pace, she has all the tools to beat the very best.

Interview

Q Why did you start running?

A I started because of a sports day at school. I ran, I was good at it and really enjoyed it.

Q Who was your athletics hero when you were younger?

A Sally Barsosio, the 1997 10,000m world champion.

Q You were a prolific junior but then you had a spell away from the sport. Why?

A I was never away from the sport. I was always training, but I took some time away from racing to concentrate on my exams.

Q You possess a strong kick finish. Is this something you practise hard at?

A It’s natural. But I do help it along with speed-work sessions on the track.

Q Do you prefer the track or cross-country?

A I like them both equally.

Q What other interests do you have outside athletics?

A Reading novels, watching football and visiting friends.

Q Ethiopian women have held the upper hand over Kenyan athletes in recent times. Can you change this?

A I hope so. Kenyans were second, third and fourth in the 5000m at last year’s World Chammpionships. I hope we can get gold in Beijing this year.

Q You made a big progression in 2007. Why was that?

A I trained really hard and have a good coach and training programme.

Q What’s been the highlight of your career ?

A Breaking the 5000m world record in 2007. Unfortunately I was in second position!

Q Of what does your diet consist?

A Lots of vegetables, chicken, milk, tea and ugali [cornmeal usually made into a dumpling].

Q How far do you run each week?

A 120-150 kilometres.

Q Do any other members of your family run?

A Yes, a brother and a sister.

Q What is your ambition?

A To be Olympic 5000m champion.