2014 Commonwealth Games champ Cherono moves on from 2015 disappointments

By Lynne Wachira | 8yrs ago | 3 min read

The 2014 Commonwealth Games champion Mercy Cherono goes about her intensive evening workout at the Moi University Annex campus track in Eldoret, determination and focus written all over her face. She is a girl on a mission.

Cherono is keen on moving on from a disastrous 2015 season that was marred by injuries which forced her to delay the 2015 training programme. Her struggle with a string of injuries last season forced her to stay off training for the better part of the year as she concentrated on recuperation.

“I struggled all through the first months of the 2015 season and even skipped the Diamond League competitions. I also missed out on a slot in the World Cross Country Championships team held in Guiyang, China,” she says.

The 2010 Junior World Cross Country champion finished a distant fifth in the 5,000m race at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing last year. She now has to wait for the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London to chase her maiden World Championships.

“I only trained for a few weeks before the World Championships trials, but I still made the team. That was the most important thing that happened last year. I went to Beijing not sure I would even make the finals. Finishing fifth was not so bad considering I was not very fit,” added the former world junior champion.

The 2016 season however already seems bright; Cherono is injury-free and has already kicked off the season with two cross-country races in Spain and Italy.

“I ran in two cross-country competitions early this year and I did very well. My body feels good and has responded perfectly. Cross-country is crucial for buildup ahead of the track season. I also needed to take part in a competitive race to gain back my confidence,’’ said the Commonwealth champion.

Cherono’s training has been seamless this year. She has been in training for eight weeks and plans to take part in a few cross-country championship meetings before the Diamond League season, and eventually the Olympics on August 5, in Rio de Janeiro.

“This is a very important year for any athlete. The Olympics come after four years and I cannot imagine missing a ticket to Rio. I am channelling all my energy towards the road to Rio. I will be the happiest person if I win a medal. I am sure it’s going to be very difficult, but that struggle for excellence is what I train and live for,” added Cherono confidently.

With an Olympics ticket at stake, Cherono continues to find a balance between the 1,500m and the 5,000m race, although she admits her focus will this year be on the longer race. She had hoped to double at the last World Championships but ended up taking part in the 5,000m race after Athletics Kenya declined athletes’ requests to take part in more than one race.

“The 1,500m race is obviously very competitive, but that aside, it’s tricky to double at the Olympics taking into consideration all the qualifiers to the finals. Rio is also hot, so it’s not wise to push the body too much with too many preliminary rounds. My focus is on the longer race because I have worked on my endurance,” said Cherono.

Cherono still prides herself in her glittering junior career, while she also hopes to stamp her authority as a force to reckon with in the senior ranks in which she has had to play second-fiddle to her former junior rival, Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia, who has been explosive in the senior ranks.