Africa-Press – Kenya. The 2020 Olympic 1,500m silver medallist, Timothy Cheruiyot, is bullish about a thunderous 2026 campaign, with his sights firmly set on global dominance at the Commonwealth Games, the Diamond League circuit, and the World Ultimate Championships.
Cheruiyot fired his first warning shots on February 14 at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Tour, signalling that the engine is already humming.
The 30-year-old lined up in the men’s 2km race, surging to third place in 5:54 behind Reynold Cheruiyot (5:52) and Daniel Munguti (5:54) after a fierce sprint finish.
For a man plotting another assault on the world stage, it was the perfect tune-up. “I am happy with the results. It was a good start for me and a good opener to the season,” Cheruiyot said.
With the cross-country spikes barely cooled, the former world champion is already thinking bigger, targeting a commanding 2026 season on the track and eyeing podium finishes across the Diamond League circuit and global championships.
“I expect good things in 2026. We have the Commonwealth Games, Diamond Leagues and the Ultimate Championships,” he added.
Cheruiyot steps into 2026 on the back of a mixed 2025 season, one punctuated by flashes of brilliance and narrow misses against stacked international fields.
On the global circuit, he opened his campaign at the Grand Slam Track, finishing sixth over 1,500m (3:35.61) and eighth over 800m (1:47.12), before sharpening up for the Diamond League campaign.
In Rome, he clocked 3:29.75 to finish second behind France’s Azeddine Habz (3:29.72). At the Oslo meet, he narrowly missed the Mile podium, placing fourth in 3:49.06, before finishing seventh at the Prefontaine Classic in 3:47.71 over the same distance.
He rounded off his Diamond League season in resilient fashion, taking runner-up honours in Silesia (3:33.35) and finishing fourth at the Zurich final (3:30.13), both over 1,500m.
Cheruiyot then donned the national colours at the World Athletics Championships in September, placing fourth in 3:34.50.
Portugal’s Isaac Nader (3:34.10), Britain’s Jake Wightman (3:34.13) and Reynold (3:34.25) filled the podium places.
Now, in a move that could redefine the twilight of his glittering career, Cheruiyot is contemplating a step up in distance.
Having long been a dominant force in the metric mile, he is plotting to test his endurance over 5,000m this season.
“Because I have been in the 1,500m for a long time, maybe this year I will try to test my legs on the 5,000m to see how it will go,” he said.
However, the exact venue for his 5,000m debut remains undecided. “I hope soon I will know the venue where I will make my 5000m debut. I am still waiting for my management to work things out.”
Cheruiyot remains one of Kenya’s most decorated athletes in the metric mile. At the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, he stormed to silver in 3:29.01 behind Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:28.32).
His World Championships journey began with silver in London 2017, where he clocked 3:33.99 behind compatriot Elijah Manangoi (3:33.61), before upgrading to gold in Doha two years later with a 3:29.26 finish.
His resume further includes five Diamond League final trophies (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021), two Commonwealth Games silver medals from Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022 and African Championships silvers from Durban 2016 and Nigeria 2018.
