by Larry EderVivian Cheruiyot had just arrived in Frankfurt. A round table was prepared for Vivian, in both German and English, which gave the assembled media a good feel for what Vivian was looking for in Frankfurt, and what she had learned in London, her first marathon.
This presser was recorded on October 26, 2017.
But then, it became very special.
Vivian Cheruiyot, who ended her career in track & field, a quite illustrious one, with a gold in the 5000 meters, after a silver in the 10,000 meters, is now focused on the marathon. Vivian Cheruiyot is very comfortable in English and she was quite open about her career, challenges in the marathon and her focus on the 26.2 mile distance.
Vivian Cheruiyot, photo by PhotoRun.net
One of the best stories of the day concerned her gold medal at 5000 meters. After her silver in the 10,000 meters, manager Ricky Simms let her and Hellen Obiri alone in their thoughts for the week. Then, the day of the race, Ricky Simms said, ” Let her go.” Vivian Cheruiot and Hellen Obiri were dumbfounded. “If you go with Almaz, she will surely beat you. But, if you, during the middle of the race begin to move closer to her, you should be able to challenge her later in the race.” At halfway, Almaz Ayana had 12 seconds and all looked lost. But Vivian and Hellen, running 68-69 laps were much faster than Almaz Ayana running 72 seconds. “It was all about the team work”, Ricky Simms just told me this morning.
Vivian Cheruiyot credited Hellen Obiri and her manager for providing her the plan to defeat Almaz Ayana. But, in this presser, recorded below, Vivian Cheruiyot talks about taking the lead from Almaz Ayana, a women she thought might be unbeatable. In gaining her first Olympic gold medal, after illness prevented full runs in 2008 and 2012, was amazing. “My heart smiled.” noted Vivian Cheruiyot.
And so did the fans.
