Timothy Cheruiyot (born 20 November 1995)[2] is a Kenyan middle-distance runner specialising in the 1500 metres. He is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medallist in the event and the 8th fastest athlete all time over the distance. At the World Athletics Championships, Cheruiyot won the silver medal in 2017 in London, and a gold in 2019 in Doha.

Timothy Cheruiyot
Cheruiyot at the Paris Diamond League in 2018
Personal information
Born (1995-11-20) 20 November 1995 (age 28)
Bomet, Kenya
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)[1]
Sport
CountryKenya
SportAthletics
Event1500 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)800 m: 1:43.11 (Nairobi 2019)
1500 m: 3:28.28 (Monaco 2021)
Mile: 3:49.64 (Eugene 2017)
2000 m: 5:03.05 (Nairobi 2020)
3000 m: 7:36.72 (Doha 2023)
5000 m: 13:47.2 (Nairobi 2020)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Kenya
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo 1500 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Doha 1500 m
Silver medal – second place 2017 London 1500 m
Diamond League
First place 2017 1500 m
First place 2018 1500 m
First place 2019 1500 m
First place 2021 1500 m
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 2018 Gold Coast 1500 m
Silver medal – second place 2022 Birmingham 1500 m
African Championships
Silver medal – second place 2016 Durban 1500 m
Silver medal – second place 2018 Nigeria 1500 m

He took the silver medal in his specialty event at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, and is also a two-time African Championship silver medallist from 2016 and 2018. Cheruiyot won the 1500 m Diamond League title on four occasions: in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021.

Personal Life & Career

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Cheruiyot is from the town of Singorwet, in Bomet County, Kenya, and lives on a farm with his family. Beginning in 2014, he began to train in the outskirts of Nairobi, via the Rongai Athletics Club, under Coach Bernard Ouma.[3]

Early Career: 2015-2018

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2015

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Cheruiyot's first major milestone in his career was competing on Kenya's Distance Medley Relay (DMR) at the 2015 IAAF World Relays Championships in the Bahamas. Team Kenya's goal was to improve on their existing DMR world record of 9:15.56 set back in 2006, but the new world record ended up going to the United States, in a time of 9:15.50, while Kenya finished second in a time of 9:17.20. Cheruiyot anchored this DMR (1600m leg) against the United States' Ben Blankenship.[3][4]

Cheruiyot would have a rematch against Blankenship three weeks later at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, in the men's International Mile. Blankenship won in a time of 3:55.72, while Cheruiyot finished 3rd in a time of 3:55.80.[3][5]

Cheruiyot then switched attention to the 1500m at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. Here, he made it through the rounds and took 7th place in the final in a time of 3:36.05.[3][6]

2016

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In 2016, Cheruiyot won the 1500m at the Rabat Diamond League, in a time of 3:33.61.[7] He also took a silver medal in the 1500m at the African Championships in Durban (3:39.71), and finished 2nd in the Emsley Carr Mile (3:53.17[8]) at the Anniversary Games in London.[3]

However, despite his successes, Cheruiyot took 4th place in the 1500m final at the Kenyan Olympic Trials and was therefore unable to represent Kenya at the 2016 Rio Olympics.[3]

Although disappointed by not making Kenya's Olympic Team, Cheruiyot had another breakthrough by winning the 1500m at the Brussels Diamond League, in a personal best time of 3:31.34.[3]

2017: World Silver Medalist & Diamond League Champion

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By the end of the 2017 season, Cheruiyot was ranked 2nd in the world over the 1500m, and was a world silver medalist at the 2017 World Championships in London, in a time of 3:33.99, with compatriot Elijah Manangoi winning in a time of 3:33.61.[3][9]

Cheruiyot also won the 2017 Diamond League Final, in a time of 3:33.93.[3][10]

2018

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With no major championships this year, Cheruiyot spent 2018 focusing on speed and Diamond League racing. He remained undefeated in every domestic Kenyan race and Diamond League he competed in. Cheruiyot ended 2018 ranked first in the 1500m (3:28.41) and mile (3:49.87).[3]

Cheruiyot was nominated by the IAAF, along with ten other athletes, for the Athlete of the Year Award.[3]

Despite the momentum, at the end of 2018 and into early 2019, Cheruiyot sustained a small injury, but would recover to full strength after a few months.[3]

2019: World Champion

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Despite the injury, Cheruiyot won every Diamond League he competed in this year except for the Doha Diamond League. A notable performance Cheruiyot had in the Diamond League circuit was at the Lausanne Diamond League, where he front-ran to set a meet record in a time of 3:28.78.[3]

Cheruiyot remained first in the 1500 metres and also stepped down to the 800 metres, running a personal best of 1:43.13 to win the Kenyan National Championships. He also defended his 1500m Diamond League title.[3]

Cheruiyot's most notable achievement in 2019 was winning gold for Kenya at the men's 1500m final in the IAAF World Championships in Doha. Cheruiyot won in a time of 3:29.26.[3][11]

2020

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The COVID-19 pandemic forced Cheruiyot to slow down in 2020, though he still raced in Monaco, Stockholm, Doha, and Nairobi. He also raced the 2,000m distance in the Impossible Games, winning the Kenyan race in a time of 5:03.05.[3][12]

Cheruiyot stated this time spent at home helped him to further appreciate his family.[3]

2021: Olympic Silver Medalist

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Cheruiyot began 2021 with 1500m wins at the Doha, Stockholm, and Monaco Diamond Leagues. At the Monaco Diamond League he ran his current personal best of 3:28.28.[3]

Since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and having not made the Rio team, Cheruiyot's main priority for the year was the Olympics.[3]

Athletics Kenya formally invited Cheruiyot to join the Kenyan Olympic Team for the 1500m. Having made it through both rounds, Cheruiyot finished second for Olympic Silver in the 1500m final, in a time of 3:29.01, beating British athlete Josh Kerr who took Olympic Bronze in 3:29.05. Norwegian athlete Jakob Ingebrigtsen took Olympic Gold in a new Olympic record of 3:28.32, beating Abel Kipsang's recent Olympic record from the semifinals of 3:31.65, and Noah Ngeny's former Olympic Record from the 2000 Sydney Olympics of 3:32.07.[3][13][14][15]

Prior to the Olympic Final, Cheruiyot had stated he would gift any athlete who beat him in the final his Kenyan bracelet, which he gave to Ingebrigtsen.[3]

To wrap up the 2021 season, Cheruiyot went on to defend his Diamond League title at the Diamond League Final at Zurich, winning in a time of 3:31.37 and beating Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who came 2nd in a time of 3:31.45.[3][16]

2022

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Cheruiyot began his 2022 season with a 2nd place finish in the 1500m at the Doha Diamond League and a 3rd place finish in the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic. Despite a hamstring issue, Cheruiyot navigated the rounds at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, but took 6th in the final, in a season's best time of 3:30.69.[3][17]

In 2022, Cheruiyot was unable to defend his Diamond League title, being beaten by Jakob Ingebrigtsen.[3]

2023

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Cheruiyot opened his 2023 season with a 3,000m race at the Doha Diamond League, finishing 5th in a time of 7:36.72.[18] He also ran the 1500m in the Los Angeles Grand Prix, winning in a time of 3:31.47.[19] Cheruiyot also competed in the Oslo Diamond League, running a season's best of 3:29.08 in the 1500m.[3]

All of this was building to the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Cheruiyot made the Kenyan National Team, and made it through the preliminaries, but was eliminated in the semifinals.[20] Cheruiyot stated he was diagnosed with a knee injury after the World Championships, and therefore spent the rest of 2023, and the beginning of 2024 resting and rehabilitating to prepare for the upcoming Olympic Year.[3]

2024

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In another Olympic Year, building to the 2024 Paris Olympics, at the Oslo Diamond League on 30 May, Cheruiyot narrowly lost to his long-time rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen, with Ingebrigtsen winning in a time of 3:29.74, and Cheruiyot running 3:29.77.[21]

In the 1500m final at the Kenyan Olympic Trials, which took place in June, Cheruiyot secured his spot on the Kenyan Olympic Team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, coming in third place, with a time of 3:35.90. In second was Daniel Mungati, who ran 3:35.80, and the winner was Reynold Cheruiyot, who ran 3:35.63. This 1500m race began relatively slow, with the final 400m turning into a sprint finish.[22]

On 12 July, in the 1500 metres at the Herculis Meeting, Cheruiyot ran a season's best of 3:28.71, behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen's new European record of 3:26.73.[23]

On 6 August, Cheruiyot finished 11th in the 1500m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, in a time of 3:31.35.[24]

Achievements

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International competitions

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Representing   Kenya
Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
2015 IAAF World Relays Nassau, Bahamas 2nd Distance medley relay 9:17.20
World Championships Beijing, China 7th 1500 m 3:36.05
2016 African Championships Durban, South Africa 2nd 1500 m 3:39.71
2017 World Championships London, United Kingdom 2nd 1500 m 3:33.99
2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia 2nd 1500 m 3:35.17
African Championships Asaba, Nigeria 2nd 1500 m 3:35.93
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 1st 1500 m 3:29.26
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 2nd 1500 m 3:29.01
2022 World Championships Eugene, United States 6th 1500 m 3:30.69
Commonwealth Games Birmingham, United Kingdom 2nd 1500 m 3:30.21
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 23rd (sf) 1500 m 3:37.40
2024 Olympic Games Paris, France 11th 1500 m 3:31.35

Diamond League wins and titles

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing Nike
2016 Meeting de Rabat Rabat, Morocco 1st 1500m 3:33.61
Memorial Van Damme Brussels, Belgium 1st 1500m 3:31.34
2017 BAUHAUS-galan Stockholm, Sweden 1st 1500m 3:30.77
  Weltklasse Zürich Zürich, Switzerland 1st 1500m 3:31.34
2018 Diamond League Shanghai Shanghai, China 1st 1500m 3:31.48
Prefontaine Classic Eugene, United States 1st One Mile 3:49.87
Golden Gala Rome, Italy 1st 1500m 3:31.22
Meeting de Paris Paris, France 1st 1500m 3:29.71
Herculis Monaco, Monaco 1st 1500m 3:28.41
  Weltklasse Zürich Zürich, Switzerland 1st 1500m 3:30.27
2019 BAUHAUS-galan Stockholm, Sweden 1st 1500m 3:32.47
Prefontaine Classic Eugene, United States 1st One Mile 3:50.49
Athletissima Lausanne, Switzerland 1st 1500m 3:28.77
Herculis Monaco, Monaco 1st 1500m 3:29.97
  Memorial Van Damme Brussels, Belgium 1st 1500m 3:30.22
2020 Herculis Monaco, Monaco 1st 1500m 3:28.45
BAUHAUS-galan Stockholm, Sweden 1st 1500m 3:35.79
2021 Doha Diamond League Doha, Qatar 1st 1500m 3:30.48
BAUHAUS-galan Stockholm, Sweden 1st 1500m 3:32.30
Herculis Monaco, Monaco 1st 1500m 3:28.28
  Weltklasse Zürich Zürich, Switzerland 1st 1500m 3:31.37

National championships

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing Nike
2014 Kenyan Championships Nairobi 7th 800 m 1:47.32
Kenyan Junior Championships 3rd 800 m 1:45.92
2015 Kenyan Championships 2nd 1500 m 3:39.25
Kenyan World Championship Trials 5th 1500 m 3:34.86
2016 Kenyan Championships 2nd 1500 m 3:37.04
Kenyan Olympic Trials Eldoret 4th 1500 m 3:39.30
2017 Kenyan Championships Nairobi 1st 1500 m 3:41.0
Kenyan World Championship Trials 2nd 1500 m 3:31.05
2018 Kenyan Commonwealth Games Trials 1st 1500 m 3:34.84
Kenyan Championships 1st 1500 m 3:34.82
2019 Kenyan Championships 1st 800 m 1:43.11
Kenyan World Championship Trials 1st 1500 m 3:34.91
2021 Kenyan Olympic Trials 4th 1500m 3:34.62
2022 Kenyan Championships 6th 1500m 3:37.81
Kenyan Commonwealth Games / World Championships Trials 2nd 1500m 3:34.59
2023 Kenyan Championships 3rd 800m 1:45.10
Kenyan World Championship Trials 1st 1500m 3:34.01
2024 Kenyan Championships 3rd 800m 1:45.65
Kenyan Championships 4th 1500m 3:40.23
Kenyan Olympic Trials 3rd 1500m 3:35.90

Personal bests and World Rankings

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Personal bests

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Progression

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Year Time Event Location Day
2015 3:34.86 Kenyan World Championship Trials Nairobi, Kenya August 1
2016 3:31.34 Brussels Diamond League Meeting Brussels, Belgium September 9
2017 3:29.10 Monaco Diamond League Meeting Monaco, Monaco July 21
2018 3:28.41 Monaco Diamond League Meeting July 20
2019 3:28.77 Lausanne Diamond League Meeting Lausanne, Switzerland July 5
2020 3:28.45 Monaco Diamond League Meeting Monaco, Monaco August 14
2021 3:28.28 Monaco Diamond League Meeting July 9
2022 3:30.21 2022 Commonwealth Games Birmingham, United Kingdom August 6
2023 3:29.08 Oslo Diamond League Meeting Oslo, Norway June 15
2024 3:28.71 Monaco Diamond League Meeting Monaco, Monaco July 12

World Rankings

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Year Rank
2016 6th
2017 2nd
2018 1st
2019 1st
2020 N/A
2021 2nd
2022 3rd

References

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  1. ^ "Timothy Cheruiyot". eurosport.com. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Timothy Cheruiyot". IAAF. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z arcadadesign.com. "My Career So Far... - Timothy Cheruiyot". www.timothycheruiyot.com. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Men's distance medley – IAAF/BTC World Relays, Bahamas 2015 | News | Nassau (T. Robinson Stadium) 2015 | World Athletics Relays". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  5. ^ "2015 Eugene Diamond League - Nike Prefontaine Classic".
  6. ^ "1500 Metres Men - Final" (PDF).
  7. ^ "Results: IAAF Diamond League Rabat 2016".
  8. ^ "2016 Results".
  9. ^ "1500 Metres Men - Final" (PDF).
  10. ^ "IAAF Diamond League Final" (PDF).
  11. ^ "Home | Doha 2019 | World Athletics Championships". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  12. ^ "2000 Metres Result | Impossible Games". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Tokyo 2020 Men's 1500m Results".
  14. ^ "Sydney 2000 1500m men Results".
  15. ^ Olympics, N. B. C. (5 August 2021). "Kipsang breaks 1500m OR in semi, Centrowitz misses final". KYMA. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  16. ^ "Wanda Diamond League Final" (PDF).
  17. ^ "1500 Metres Result | World Athletics Championships, Oregon 2022". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  18. ^ "Doha Diamond League 2023 Results".
  19. ^ "Results: USATF Los Angeles Los Angeles Grand Prix 2023".
  20. ^ "1500 Metres Men - Semi Final" (PDF).
  21. ^ "Programme 2024". oslo.diamondleague.com. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  22. ^ "Kipyegon and Wanyonyi shine at Kenyan Olympic Trials | REPORT | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  23. ^ "Programme 2024". monaco.diamondleague.com. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  24. ^ "MEN'S 1500M FINAL RESULTS".
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