The 2020 Olympic silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot has set his sights on reclaiming a podium place in the men’s 1,500m at the 2025 World Athletics Championships set for September in Tokyo.
The former world champion, who struck gold in Doha 2019, is aiming to bounce back after two disappointing outings at the global stage, including a shock exit in the heats at the 2023 edition in Budapest.
“I need to go back to Tokyo and win a medal in the 1,500m,” Cheruiyot said after an impressive performance at the Rome Diamond League last Friday.
In Rome, he clocked 3:29.75 to finish second behind France’s Azeddine Habz (3:29.72) and narrowly edged out Morocco’s Anass Essayi (3:30.74).
Cheruiyot, who has carried Kenya’s 1,500m hopes at five previous World Championships, has stood on the podium only twice.
Cheruiyot made his maiden World Championship appearance in Beijing in 2015, where he placed seventh, clocking 3:36.05. Asbel Kiprop (3:34.40), Elijah Manangoi (3:34.36), and Abdelaati Iguider (3:34.67) claimed the podium.
In 2017, Cheruiyot produced a strong performance, clinching silver in 3:33.99 behind Manangoi (3:33.61) in London.
He would later upgrade to gold in Doha 2019, finishing in 3:29.36 ahead of Algeria's Taoufik Makhloufi (3:31.38) and Poland's Marcin Lewandowski (3:31.46). But the last two editions haven’t gone to script.
He finished sixth in Eugene 2022 despite a solid 3:30.36 in a race won by Britain’s Jake Wightman (3:29.23), with Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:29.47) and Spain's Mohamed Katir (3:29.90) completing the podium. In Budapest 2023, Cheruiyot’s campaign ended in heartbreak after failing to advance from the heats owing to an injury.
Cheruiyot, 29, admitted he was eyeing victory at the iconic Stadio Olimpico in Rome, where he triumphed in 2018. “The run was good today. I won at this stadium in 2018, so I wanted to repeat it, to be victorious again,” he said. At the 2018 edition, Cheruiyot clocked 3:31.22 to claim victory ahead of Manangoi (3:33.79) and Ethiopia's Samuel Tefera (3:34.84).
That 2018 victory set the tone for a dominant campaign that culminated in Diamond League finals glory in Zurich, where he stormed to victory in 3:30.27.
He led Manangoi (3:31.16) and Djibouti's Ayanleh Souleiman (3:31.24). However, his resurgence in Rome signals a potential turning point.
“I have very nice memories of Rome. I am happy even with this result. I have to say that the French guy surprised me in the last 30m,” he said.
The Rome outing was only his second 1,500m race of the season, following a sixth-place finish at the Grand Slam meet in Miami, where he posted 3:35.61.
But Cheruiyot believes his trajectory is on the rise. "My season is going well, and I am glad. This is only my second race, so the result is okay. It was a fast and good run."
As he prepares for Tokyo, Cheruiyot hopes to sharpen his finishing kick. "I need to work on my finish."
