L. MathekaVivian Cheruiyot is back!
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 15.10.23. | 12:03
She has had a two-and-a-half years sabbatical following the birth of her second child in October 2021.
The last time four-time World Champion Vivian Cheruiyot was scheduled to feature in a competitive race, she chose not to, and the event must be a bad memory for her as she found herself in the middle of a brawl that saw her and her husband make headlines for the wrong reasons.
That was in February this year, all the drama having started at the Lobo Village during the Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country meet. However, the Chief Inspector of Police attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) seems to have put those woes behind her.
The Kenyan 5,000-metre champion at the Rio Olympics was scheduled to return to road racing after the birth of her second child, but that was never to be.
Nicknamed Pocket Rocket, Cheruiyot is finally back. 34 days after turning 40, she lined up for the New Delhi half marathon, finishing in fifth place. She clocked 1:11.26 in a race won by track rival Almaz Ayana in 1:07.59.
It was in Delhi 13 years ago that Cheruiyot led a Kenyan 5,000-metre sweep in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, a win that catapulted her into the top echelons of global distance running.
Cheruiyot went on to win four Olympic medals, including a 5,000-metre gold in Rio 2016, and four World Championships gold medals (two each in 5,000m and 10,000m).
“I remember the first time I came to Delhi. I really loved my time here. It is a privilege to return. I love the country, the people, and the culture. I missed coming here, so I am really happy to be back,” said Cheruiyot, who won three successive 5,000M Diamond League crowns from 2011 to 2013, told Hindustan Times ahead of Sunday’s race.
She was making a comeback after a break of two and a-half years following the birth of her second child in October 2021.
“My last international competition was the 2020 London Marathon. But I have been training hard and getting better. I have been planning this comeback for some time now, so I am prepared to run. My girl turned two on Friday, October 13, so if I do well, it will be a gift for my child,” she further offered in the same interview.
Cheruiyot won the 2018 London Marathon and finished second in the 2018 New York and 2019 London Marathons.
Viola Chepngeno 🇰🇪 finished third, clocking 1:09:09 at Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. Vivian Cheruiyot 🇰🇪 came fifth in 1:11:26 on her return after more than 2 years of inactivity.#TeamKenya pic.twitter.com/5ZmWwmbEyO
— Kenya Track & Field (@TrackFieldKE) October 15, 2023
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