Timothy Cheruiyot under pressure to deliver at mini-Olympics

Timothy Cheruiyot under pressure to deliver at mini-Olympics

Abigael Wafula 09:22 - 07.06.2024

Timothy Cheruiyot has admitted to being under the pump ahead of the mini-Olympics scheduled for June 14 and 15 at the Nyayo National Stadium.

Olympic silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot has admitted to pressure ahead of the Kenyan Olympic trials scheduled for June 14 and 15 at the Nyayo National Stadium.

Cheruiyot will be among the dozens of athletes who will descend on the track, bidding to make the cut to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and it will certainly not be an easy task for the former world champion.

The 1500m has seen the emergence of young talent including Reynold Cheruiyot, Brian Komen and Vincent Keter and Cheruiyot believes he has his work cut out if he is to dethrone the youngsters and qualify for the games.

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“I have pressure because everyone in the field is powerful, like Komen, Kipsang, Keter, and Reynold so I need to be smart on that day and get the qualification,” Cheruiyot said in an interview with the National Olympic Committee of Kenya.

The 28-year-old has been off to a great start to his season, following his Diamond League second place finishes in Doha and Oslo.

He also competed in the 800m at the Kip Keino Classic, finishing eighth and later improved on that performance at the National Championships, where he finished third in the 800m and second in the 1500.

He explained that his body is responding quite well to training and revealed the specific technique his coach is working on to ensure they achieve the lofty ambitions set ahead of the challenge in the city of love.

“My season has been great despite last year I got a knee injury but now I’m happy to have come back stronger, not 100% but I’m somewhere. I have a few Diamond Leagues and am happy because my body is responding well.

“We need to work on speed endurance, which my coach and I are focused on. Paris means a lot to me and it only comes after four years…in 2016 I missed and I went for the one in Tokyo.

“For this one, I want to get a medal. Time is going very fast and we are working very hard to ensure I’m ready when the time comes. Worldwide now, the 1500m is very competitive so my coach and I have set smart goals to achieve,” he said.

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