Summary
– Ingebrigtsen beats Cheruiyot in Oslo Diamond League.
– Cheruiyot satisfied with his performance.
– Both athletes eye Olympic success.
Kenya’s 1500m star Timothy Cheruiyot has paid a glowing tribute to his key rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen who defeated him in the Diamond League Oslo series on May 30, 2024.
Cheruiyot came in second as the Norwegian, enjoying home advantage (timed 3:29.74) and becoming the fastest this year, perhaps a morale-boosting performance ahead of the Olympic Games.
Cheruiyot satisfied
Cheruiyot said it was good to run against the Olympic champion and that he was satisfied with his own performance. Cheruiyot came in close second at 3:29.77.
“Racing with my compatriot, Jakob, makes me happy; he’s a strong guy, and he finished fast today. I’m glad to be here in Oslo for the second time; the track is amazing.
“I was expecting the win, but I’m satisfied I managed to run under 3:30 today. Now, I’m going home to prepare for the Kenyan trials; I need to finish in the top three,” Cheruiyot said after the Thursday night run.
This was an encouraging performance by the 29-year-old, who recovered and returned to action after being injured.
“For the last nine months, I’ve been injured, so I need to focus on training more to improve my fitness ahead of Paris, where I hope to get another medal for my country,” he added.
How it went down
Meanwhile, Ingebrigtsen produced a top-level performance as he was made to dive for the line to ensure a home victory for the Norwegian fans.
He controlled the pace in the second half, but still, Cheruiyot, the 2019 champion, was a strong challenger.
The Kenyan challenged the Norwegian down the home straight and appeared to have timed his kick to perfection, but Ingebrigtsen collapsed over the line to get the verdict in a world-leading 3:29.74, 0.03 ahead of Cheruiyot.
In a previous race, Ingebrigtsen defeated Cheruiyot in the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, clocking 3:28.32 to Cheruiyot’s 3:29.01, and another match-up is expected in Paris.
Recently, Cheruiyot finished fourth in the 1,500m at the National Championships, in 3:40.23, after Boaz Kiprugut (3:39.23), Josephat Sang (3:38.74), and Brain Komen (3:37.91).
Timothy Cheruiyot Profile
Timothy Cheruiyot (born 20 November 1995) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner specialising in the 1500 metres. He is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medallist in the event. At the World Athletics Championships, Cheruiyot won the silver medal in 2017 in London, and a gold in 2019 in Doha.
He took the silver medal in his specialty event at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, and is also a two-time African Championship silver medallist from 2016 and 2018. Cheruiyot won the 1500 m Diamond League title on four occasions: in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021.
National championships
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Nike | |||||
| 2014 | Kenyan Championships | Nairobi | 7th | 800 m | 1:47.32 |
| Kenyan Junior Championships | 3rd | 800 m | 1:45.92 | ||
| 2015 | Kenyan Championships | 2nd | 1500 m | 3:39.25 | |
| Kenyan World Championship Trials | 5th | 1500 m | 3:34.86 | ||
| 2016 | Kenyan Championships | 2nd | 1500 m | 3:37.04 | |
| Kenyan Olympic Trials | Eldoret | 4th | 1500 m | 3:39.30 | |
| 2017 | Kenyan Championships | Nairobi | 1st | 1500 m | 3:41.0 |
| Kenyan World Championship Trials | 2nd | 1500 m | 3:31.05 | ||
| 2018 | Kenyan Commonwealth Games Trials | 1st | 1500 m | 3:34.84 | |
| Kenyan Championships | 1st | 1500 m | 3:34.82 | ||
| 2019 | Kenyan Championships | 1st | 800 m | 1:43.11 | |
| Kenyan World Championship Trials | 1st | 1500 m | 3:34.91 | ||
| 2021 | Kenyan Olympic Trials | 4th | 1500m | 3:34.62 | |
| 2022 | Kenyan Championships | 6th | 1500m | 3:37.81 | |
| Kenyan Commonwealth Games / World Championships Trials | 2nd | 1500m | 3:34.59 | ||
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)
- 5000 metres – 13:47.2 (Nairobi 2020)
