The 2020 Tokyo Olympics 1,500m silver medalist Timothy Cheruiyot has said he will join the Diamond League action to spruce up for the upcoming Budapest World Championships in August.
Cheruiyot said besides eyeing a vintage performance in the series, he will also use the stage to gauge his stamina as he smarts from a long layoff occasioned by a nagging injury.
“I plan to use the Diamond League races to prepare for the World Championships," he said.
Cheruiyot feels he needs to up his game heading into the premier annual global showpiece, where he will also strive to reclaim the title he last won in Doha during the 2019 extravaganza.
"I still feel I'm yet to achieve the speed I strongly yearn for. I also have a lot of work to do to accomplish the appropriate endurance level," Cheruiyot said.
Cheruiyot said he has shoved aside the injury concerns that caused a worrying decline in his performance for three agonising years.
He will look to turn around his fortunes after fizzling off to a sixth-place finish at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, where he clocked 3:30.69.
He is honing his skills with Olympics champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen in his mind. "Ingebrigtsen is my main competitor and he is the one I will be eager to beat."
"What's encouraging is that I'm not battling any injuries at the moment and that makes my preparation easier,” he added.
Cheruiyot revealed he will be gracing the Athletics Kenya (AK) national trials slated for July 7 and 8, where he will battle tooth and nail for a seat on the Kenyan plane to Budapest.
He strongly reckons a win on the local stage will give his aspirations the much-needed shot in the arm.
"I'm aware of the stiff competition I'll be facing from other contestants who are also eyeing a ticket to Hungary but I'm eager to represent the country and win a medal, so I'll give the trials my best shot," Cheruiyot added.
He was in action at the National Athletics Championships over the weekend, where he gauged his mettle in the 800m.
The 2017 world silver medalist said he switched to the two-lap race to test his finishing prowess.
After securing a berth in the finals, he cracked a third-place finish in 1:45.10, behind Kipng’etich Ngeno who stormed the national title in 1:44.90, and Cornelius Tuwei who timed 1:44.92 to place second.
“I decided to compete in the 800m at the national championships to test my speed. I am working towards achieving the qualification time."