Cheruiyot chases fifth Stockholm win as he returns to favourite hunting ground in search of form

Timothy Cheruiyot/ FILE

The 2019 world 1,500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot will be out to chase a fifth Diamond League triumph in Stockholm when he lines up in the men's metric mile at Sunday's meeting in the Swedish capital.

Cheruiyot has endured a mixed bag of results since launching his 2026 campaign, showing flashes of brilliance while searching for consistency on the international circuit.

He opened his season with a third-place finish in the 2km race at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Tour, clocking 5:54.

World 1,500m bronze medallist Reynold Cheruiyot claimed victory in 5:52, with Daniel Munguti completing a Kenyan podium sweep after crossing the line in 5:53.

The former world champion made his first track appearance of the year at the Kip Keino Classic, but struggled to make an impact, fading to sixth place in the 1,500m in 3:38.16.

World and Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi stole the headlines on that occasion, storming to victory in 3:34.11 ahead of Reynold Cheruiyot (3:34.73) and Munguti (3:36.21).

Cheruiyot then shifted his focus to the Kenya Prisons Service Track and Field Championships, where he underlined his class by dominating the 1,500m in 3:48.7 before finishing second in the 800m in 1:50.1.

His first Diamond League outing of the season came in Shanghai, where he stepped up in distance to contest the 3,000m. Despite a spirited effort, he narrowly missed out on a podium place, finishing fourth in 7:27.24. Germany's Mohamed Abdilaahi won the race in 7:25.77, while Reynold Cheruiyot (7:26.11) and Sweden's Andreas Almgren (7:26.48) completed the podium.

His most recent appearance on the circuit came at the Xiamen Diamond League, where he once again tested himself over a longer distance in the 5,000m. It proved to be a difficult outing for the Kenyan star, who finished 13th in 13:16.41 as Ethiopia's Addisu Yihune (12:57.32), Abdilaahi (12:57.90) and Biniam Mehary (12:58.51) occupied the podium places.

Back in Stockholm, Cheruiyot will be hoping for a return to winning ways as he drops back to his preferred 1,500m distance — an event that has brought him immense success over the years.

The 30-year-old will be aiming to extend his unbeaten record in Stockholm, a venue that has consistently brought out the best in the seasoned middle-distance ace.

His most recent appearance in the Swedish capital came in 2021, when he powered to victory in 3:32.30 ahead of Spain's Ignacio Fontes (3:33.27) and Ronald Kwemoi (3:33.53). Cheruiyot had also struck victory in the 2020 edition, clocking 3:30.25 to beat Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:30.74) and Australia's Stewart McSweyn (3:31.48).

A year earlier, he stormed to victory in 3:35.79, with Djibouti's Ayanleh Souleiman and Ingebrigtsen following in his wake after both clocking 3:37.30. His maiden Stockholm triumph came in 2018, when he produced a commanding front-running display to win in 3:30.77 and announce himself as the man to beat on the global middle-distance stage. However, extending that remarkable winning streak will be no easy task. On Sunday, Cheruiyot faces a stacked field led by American Olympic bronze medallist Yared Nuguse, France's Azeddine Habz and home favourite Andreas Almgren.