Cheruiyot ready to reclaim 1500m world title in Budapest

Cheruiyot will be hoping to replicate the scintillating form that saw him clinch gold in 2019 in Doha, Qatar before settling for a sixth-place finish last year in Oregon, USA.

The men’s 1500m heats will be run on the opening day of the championship.

“My preparation for the World Championships has been good. We have executed the training well and I can say that I am now ready. We will be competing on the first day of the championship and thus my strategy is to run well in the heats and semis and then plan for the finals. I am very hungry to reclaim my title,” Cheruiyot told Citizen Digital.

The 27-year-old who will be making his fifth consecutive appearance at the global showpiece says he is nearing full fitness after battling a series of injuries in the recent seasons.

“I am getting better and better and as of now I am 95 per cent fit. I know we are going to a contest and I am optimistic I will be fully fit when we start the competition on Saturday,” said Cheruiyot.

The experienced Cheruiyot will lead the Kenyan duo of Olympian Abel Kipsang and the reigning world junior champion Reynold Cheruiyot with the trio having an enormous task of stopping a strong European charge led by Olympic champion Jakob Ingegrigtsen of Norway.

“Together with Reynold and Kipsang we have to plan well how we will execute the final. We know the competition will be very tough but we are ready. Similarly, we are also a threat to our competitors and if our plan goes on well, we will bring medals home,” he said.