Cheruiyot to gauge form in Oregon and Rabat

Former double world champion and Olympics silver medalist, Vivian Cheruiyot will use the Prefontaine Classic and Meeting International Mohammed VI in Rabat races to gauge her form ahead of a planned assault of the women 5000m crown in Beijing this summer.

Speaking to supersport.com on Thursday, Cheruiyot who is still finding her way back to the sport after returning from a maternal break admitted it was too early to declare she will be among the favourites for the global title she last won in 2011 in Daegu, South Korea.

“I’m close to my best shape but it will take maybe two months to peak. I hope I will have peaked by the time the Trials come and hopefully, challenge for the title in Beijing.

“This time, I will only focus in 5000m and I’m going first to Eugene then Morocco to gauge my shape. I’m excited to be back on the international track and having run the other day at home, I’m feeling ready,” the diminutive 31 year-old distance running star nicknamed the ‘Pocket Rocket’ declared.

The Prefontaine Classic, the third stop of the 2015 IAAF Diamond League is on next weekend (May 29-30) with the IAAF World Challenge event in Morocco scheduled for June 14.

“With my son now big enough, I have intensified my training and it is my prayer I will win something for the first time in his honour but I’m not pushing myself too much or putting myself under so much pressure,” the proud mother of Allan Kiprono, who celebrated his first birthday, last October, gushed.

Compatriots Cheruiyot, Olympics 10,000m silver medallist Sally Kipyego and Janet Kisa are the main names in the women’s 3000m in Rabat.

Having won the 5000m world title at the Berlin 2009 Worlds, Cheruiyot went further to bag both the 12 and a half lap-race and 10,000m gold medals at the following edition in Daegu, South Korea two years later.

Her Olympics double bid saw her clinch bronze in the longer race and silver in 5000m where Ethiopian pair, Tirunesh Dibaba and Meseret Defar romped to glory before missing the 2013 Worlds in Moscow to attend to maternal duties.

Tirunesh is out for the season as she prepares to welcome her first born with husband former Olympics silver medallist, Sileshi Sihine in and around the summer.

“Her great Kenyan friend Vivian (Cheruiyot) should be coming back next season after taking her break and now is her turn,” Sileshi said in Addis Ababa during the 2013 EthioTrail Run saying how the couple had been inspired by the ‘Pocket Rocket’ to pause her career.