Cherono hunts for new title as a senior

By JAMES WAINDI

On track, Mercy Cherono cuts a formidable figure. Doing laps with outstanding high speed. She has fought hard for her country with a real purpose.

Away from the heat of battle, however, you will find a shy and softly spoken 20-year-old still coming into terms with her rapid rise to fame.

Cherono was a stand-out performer for the country during her days as a junior runner, winning gold medals in major events including the 3, 000m World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, World Youth Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India and World Junior championships in Moncton, Canada in 2010.

She also won the junior race at the 2010 World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz last year, before graduating to senior races this year. Now she is relishing the challenge ahead of the 13th World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea from next week.

Cherono plans to carry her junior form to the senior level and believes the World Championships would be the best platform to turn her career to a new chapter. She made a dream start to her senior career at the beginning of the year when she won the eight kilometres senior women race at the Africa Cross Country Championships in South Africa early this year.

"I am quite happy with my own performance and that I had a dream debut to my senior career after a successful junior stint, winning the Africa Cross Country Championships in Cape Town. Now I want to carry the same form to the 5, 000m race at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu. I’m confident after running my personal best time of 14:35 over the distance at the Paris Diamond League," said Cherono.