Timothy Cheruiyot

3.1. Early Career: 2015-2018

Cheruiyot's early career saw him emerge as a promising middle-distance runner, securing his first major international medals and establishing himself on the Diamond League circuit.

3.2. 2019: World Champion

The 2019 season marked a significant milestone for Cheruiyot as he became a world champion. On 30 June, he won the mile at the Prefontaine Classic in 3:50.49. He also secured victories in the 1500m at the Lausanne and Monaco Diamond Leagues, with times of 3:28.77 and 3:29.97, respectively. On 22 August, Cheruiyot won the 800m at the Kenyan National Championships, achieving a personal best of 1:43.11, his first time under the 1:44-barrier. He then won the 1500m at the Kenyan World Championship Trials on 13 September, securing his place at the World Championships in Doha. At the World Championships, Cheruiyot delivered a dominant performance to win the gold medal in the 1500m, with a time of 3:29.26. His winning margin of 2.12 seconds was the largest in World Championship 1500m history.

3.3. 2020-2021: Covid Pandemic and Olympic Silver Medal

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the 2020 season, limiting Cheruiyot's competition opportunities. He participated in the Kenyan 2000m race at the Impossible Games, defeating Elijah Manangoi, though his team ultimately lost to "Team Ingebrigtsen" who competed from Oslo. He set the world lead for the 2020 season at the Monaco Diamond League, running 3:28.47.

In 2021, Cheruiyot began his season with a victory at the 2021 Doha Diamond League in 3:30.48. He surprisingly finished fourth at the Kenyan Olympic Trials, initially failing to qualify for the Olympics. However, he was later allowed to compete after second-placer Kamar Etyang was barred due to non-compliance with anti-doping rules. Following this, he won the Stockholm Diamond League in 3:32.40 and the Monaco Diamond League, where he set a new personal best of 3:28.28. At the Tokyo Olympics, Cheruiyot earned the silver medal in the 1500m. He led for most of the race but was overtaken by Jakob Ingebrigtsen on the final turn, holding off Josh Kerr for silver. He concluded his season by winning the Diamond League Final in Zürich with a time of 3:31.27.

3.4. 2022: Commonwealth silver medal

Cheruiyot started his 2022 season with a second-place finish at the 2022 Doha Diamond League and a third-place finish in the mile at the 2022 Prefontaine Classic. He qualified for the 2022 World Athletics Championships by finishing second at the Kenyan World Championship Trials, where he ultimately placed sixth in the 1500m with a season's best of 3:30.69. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Cheruiyot won the silver medal behind Ollie Hoare in 3:30.21. He was unable to secure his fifth consecutive Diamond League title, finishing second at the Diamond League Final on 8 September.

3.5. 2023

Cheruiyot began his 2023 season by competing in a 3000m race at the 2023 Doha Diamond League, where he finished fifth in 7:36.72. He returned to winning form in the 1500m at the Los Angeles Grand Prix, running 3:31.47. On 15 June, he competed at the Oslo Diamond League, finishing fourth with a season's best time of 3:29.08. After winning the Kenyan World Championship Trials in a sprint finish, Cheruiyot was named to the team for the 2023 World Athletics Championships. However, at the World Championships in Budapest, he was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 1500m. Following the championships, he disclosed that he had been battling a knee injury, which led to him missing the remainder of the season.

3.6. 2024

On 10 May, Cheruiyot competed at the 2024 Doha Diamond League, finishing second in a Kenyan 1-2-3 sweep alongside Brian Komen and Reynold Cheruiyot, with a time of 3:32.67. At the Oslo Diamond League on 30 May, he finished second, narrowly losing to Jakob Ingebrigtsen in a dive at the finish line, achieving a season's best of 3:29.77. Cheruiyot secured his spot for the Paris Olympics by finishing third in the 1500m at the Kenyan Olympic Trials. In July, he once again finished second behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the Monaco Diamond League, running a season's best of 3:28.71.

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Cheruiyot finished 11th in the 1500m final, fading in the last lap after attempting to maintain an early fast pace. He recovered from this performance to win the 800m at the Grand Prix Lombardia in Brescia and finished second in the 1500m at the Diamond League Final in Brussels.

3.7. Future plans

In November 2024, Timothy Cheruiyot announced his intention to retire from the 1500m event after the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. He plans to transition to longer-distance running, including marathons, in the future.

4.1. International competitions

4.2. Diamond League wins and titles

Cheruiyot has been a dominant force in the Diamond League, securing multiple individual race victories and overall series titles in the 1500m.

4.3. National championships

Cheruiyot has consistently performed well at Kenyan national events, securing several titles and high placings.

5.1. Personal bests

• 800 metres - 1:43.11 (Nairobi 2019)
• 1500 metres - 3:28.28 (Monaco 2021)
• One mile - 3:49.64 (Eugene 2017)
• 2000 metres - 5:03.05 (Nairobi 2020)
• 3000 metres - 7:36.72 (Doha 2023)
• 5000 metres - 13:47.2 (Nairobi 2020)

5.2. Progression

This table illustrates Timothy Cheruiyot's year-by-year improvement in his primary event, the 1500 meters.

5.3. World Rankings

This table shows Timothy Cheruiyot's annual ranking in the global athletics landscape for his primary event.