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Kenya' s Cheruiyot eyes Olympics gold track farewell after Trials victory

Xinhua, July 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kenya' s Vivian Cheruiyot is out to cap her remarkable career on the track with the only medal missing from her impressive collection - Olympics gold,- when she takes her place at Rio 2016 Summer Games in August.

The diminutive athlete nicknamed the 'Pocket Rocket' was in imperious form on Thursday as she charged away from the competition to book her place in Kenya' s Brazil team with a crushing victory in the women 10000m final at the Kenyan Rio 2016 Trials in Eldoret.

Cheruiyot, the holder of five world titles told reporters of how 'badly' she wants to sign out from track running with the biggest medal in sport after storming to a blistering 31:36.37 triumph that was well received by the packed crowd that thronged the Dr. Kipchoge Keino Stadium.

"I' m happy to be representing Kenya at the Olympics in what will be my last 10000m race at the Olympics. I was speaking to Betsy so that we could make the team together. I encouraged her to keep up with my pace so that we could make the team together.

"I' m not intimidated by the Ethiopians," the athlete who has been denied Olympics gold in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 by her Ethiopian archrivals Meseret Defar and Tirunesh Dibaba stressed.

The 32-year-old won world titles at the 2009 World Championships (5000m), 2011 World Cross Country Championships (women senior), 2011 World Championships (5000m and 10000m) and at last year' s World Championships in Beijing (10000m).

At the Olympics, she won 5000m silver at the 2008 Beijing Games before adding silver (5000m) and bronze (10000m) in London 2012.

Cheruiyot will turn her attention to Friday' s 5000m race although the decision has not been made yet whether she will run both in Brazil.

"She is back! Having run for over 10 years, she is used to pressure and today in front of her home crowd, she was only too happy to give them a show. She has good speed even for 5000m and she wants to with Olympics gold since this is the last time she will be running on track.

"She has a good chance and we are not afraid of the Ethiopians. I know how (Almaz) Ayana trains so there is no worry if she decides to goes for the 5000m," her spouse and coach, Moses Kiplagat explained.

Having fallen just short in a career that started in 1999 when she won a bronze medal at the IAAF World Youth championships, the 'Pocket Rocket' is well primed for a last hooray. Endit