World Cross Country mixed relays gold medallist Miriam Cherop reckons she is destined for greatness as she fervently launches her career in the senior women's 1500 metres race this season.
The bubbly athlete said she will be aiming for nothing short of the title in the women's 1500 metres race at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix in Japan next month.
Cherop has vowed to scintillate the stands at the 70,000-capacity International Stadium, Yokohama on May 21.
The facility rose to global limelight after hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany and was also used for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games football tournament.
"I'm working hard in training and I'm eager to perform well in Japan next month. It's usually exciting winning on foreign soil and I can't wait to experience the thrill," Cherop said.
As she casts her sights far and wide, it is not lost on the petite runner even for a single moment that she also shoulders the responsibility of pulling off a vintage performance at the Kip Keino Classic at the Moi Stadium in Kasarani on May 13.
Cherop is alive to the reality that she is about to navigate the deep seas infested with enormous talent determined to cut her down to size.
Despite the uncertainties clouding her lofty ambitions, she is exuding a lot of confidence in her ability to upset the form book and turn the tide in her favor.
"Nothing comes easy and I'm willing to work extremely hard to fend off the competition that lies ahead on my way to glory.
"I'm ready to make the country proud in my new challenge. I'm not scared of gracing the senior stage. My performance in the junior category gave me the impetus I need to launch a successful senior career in the 1500-meter race," Cherop quipped.
The 23-year-old athletics prodigy said she will seek to halt compatriot Faith Kipyegon's dominance in the women's 1500m. She is promising the home crowd a blistering duel that could mark the beginning of her meteoric rise in the cutthroat race.
Next month, Cherop will frantically seek to bag a double as she goes full throttle for two demanding events.
"Of course, my immediate focus is on the upcoming Kip Keino Classic that will be held earlier in Nairobi before the Seiko Golden Grand Prix," Cherop said.
"The fulfilling thought of wrestling the title away from Faith inspires me to work hard and better my time in training. She has proven to be the greatest ever female 1,500m runner of all time and I have a lot of respect for her," she added.
She says she is aware it will require a lot of effort to step into the shoes of the world's 1,500m queen, Faith Kipyegon. Kipyegon, 28, boasts of two Olympic titles and three World Championships medals.
"She is my inspiration, and I aspire to be as amazing as her eventually. She has accomplished much for the country, and the rest of us look up to her. My ambition is to compete in the same final as her in future races," Cherop stated.
Cherop said she has been toiling tirelessly to equal the amazing time Kipyegon set at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon where she bagged her second world title after prevailing in 3 minutes, 52.96 seconds.
Last year, Kipyegon set the Louis II track alight after blazing to the second-fastest time in history (3:50.37) at the Herculis EBS in Monaco — the 11th leg of the Wanda Diamond League.
The two-time world and Olympic champion missed Genzebe Dibaba’s world record by 0.30. Cherop has now vowed to hammer away indefatigably in her relentless quest to flex muscles with the middle-distance queen.
"I'm currently working on lowering my time and capping it to between 4:04.00 and 4:05.00. I believe that will hand me a perfect edge heading into the two races next month," Cherop said.
In an exclusive interview on Thursday, Cherop said she has been burning the midnight oil to sharpen her talons in the lush scenery and quiet ambiance of Kericho, the picturesque south-western Kenya highlands town famous for its tea plantations.
There she is perfecting her act under the meticulous eyes of coach Gabriel Kiptanui, who doubles up as AK's First Vice Chairman Kericho branch.
Kiptanui trains more than 25 athletes in his stable including the 2015 steeplechase world champion Stella Chelangat, 2019 World U20 800metres silver medalist Kipngetich Ngeno, 2013 World U18 1,500m steeplechase gold medalist Robert Biwott, 2007 World Youth 3000m champion Mercy Cherono and the reigning world 3,000 steeplechase champion Beatrice Chepkoech.
The 2016 Africa junior women cross country champion, however, said she will be using the upcoming Kip Keino Classic tour to gauge her potential and strengthen her nerve before her flight to Yokohama.
Cherop also pledged to blaze to the podium at the World Athletics Championships set for August 19-27 in Budapest, Hungary.
"I'm already preparing for the championship. I traditionally participate in the 1500m race and I'm proud to have earned a promotion to the senior category," Cherop said.
"My training has been going on well and I am happy with the outcome as I seek to achieve my target. I am hopeful to live my dream and bring home a gold medal in Budapest."
Cherono is optimistic to impress in her first major women's 1500m senior competition in Nairobi after storming to the winner's podium in Bathurst, Australia where she and three of her teammates Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Brenda Chebet, and Kyumbe Munguti delivered a gold medal in the mixed relay at the World Cross Country Championships.
Kenya won the race in 23:14 with rivals and neighbours Ethiopia clocking 23:21 for second place. Hosts Australia were third in 23:26 with South Africa, who had Caster Semenya on the anchor lane, finishing fourth.
The Kericho-based athlete said she was happy with their performance in the mixed relay final and that the outcome catapulted her glittering career to unprecedented heights.
"I feel good and proud of our performance in Australia. Winning gold isn't a mean feat and the win has boosted my confidence heading into the World championships," Cherop said.
Her meteoric rise in athletics can be traced back to her formative years.
Born and raised in Kamara division, Mau sub-location, Cherop attended Mau Primary School, where she sat for her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) in 2014.
She then proceed to Aisaik Secondary School in Bomet County and completed her final exams in 2018. It is after completing her studies at Aisaik that her potential as an athlete came into the open.
"I started dabbling in athletics in 2012 but I wasn't all that focused. It was only after I completed high school that I took up the sport more seriously," she said.
"I began attending a series of cross country events as well as Athletics Kenya track and field meetings and that's how my journey with the national team took off."
She lavished a lot of praise on the people she believes pulled their resources together to catapult her to the international limelight.
"I want to thank coach Kiptanui, my family, and my manager Malcolm Anderson for carving my path to stardom," she said.
Cherop recounts 2016 as her best moment after she obliterated the field at the fourth edition of the African Cross Country Championships to secure gold for Kenya.
"In 2016, I was in good shape. It was my first time to travel outside the country for the African Cross Country championships in Yaounde Cameroon," she recalled.
Cherop is urging budding athletes to keep their focus intact while pursuing the path they have settled on.
"I'd like to urge my fellow youths who are eager to make it on the big stage to push above their weight. There is no shortcut to success," Cherop advised.
Cherop will be relying on her vast experience in the junior races to steer her to success.
Aside from her feat at the Africa Cross Country Championships in Cameroon, she equally romped to a 1,500m silver medal during the 2018 World Under-20 championships at the Ratina Stadium in Tampere, Finland.
MIRIAM CHEROP BIOGRAPHY
Name: Miriam Cherop
Date of Birth: June 25, 1999
Speciality: 10km; 1500m
EDUCATION
2006-2014: Mau Primary School, Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE).
2015-2018: Aisaik Secondary School, Bomet County (KCSE).
ACHIEVEMENTS
Gold medal in mixed relay race at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia
Silver medal in 1500m at the 2018 World Under 20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.
Gold medal at the Africa Cross Country Games in Yaounde, Cameroon.