NAIROBI, May 11 – After winning medals in Cross Country and track, two-time World Cross champion Emily Chebet has announced she will step up to the full marathon next year.
Chebet who set a Personal Best of 1:08:01 at last year’s Valencia Half Marathon revealed to Capital Sport she is ready to stamp her authority over the classic distance.
“Next year I will try marathon though it’s very hard but with good training I’m sure I will make it. After the World Championships I will go for one road race then concentrate on marathon,” the Bydgoszcz 2010 and 13 IAAF World Cross Champion declared.
The Commonwealth Games Bronze medallist who failed to defend her World Cross title in Guiyang, China will begin her marathon preparations immediately after the Beijing World Championships where she is eying a spot in 10,000m.
Chebet’s interest to shift gear to full marathon comes four months after women’s 10,000m Worlds silver medallist, Gladys Cherono finished second on her debut at Dubai Marathon.
In the meantime, Chebet has set her focus on the summer Worlds where she seeks to make the Kenyan team to improve on her 2013 performance in Moscow, Russia where she finished fourth in a Personal Best of 30:47.02.
As part of preparation for Kenya National Trials in July, the 29-year-old will compete at this weekend’s IAAF Permit Bangalore 10km Road Race in India and New York’s Albany 5km in June to gauge her speed.
Chebet who hails from Kericho told Capital Sport she will leave nothing to chance if selected to represent the country at the global showpiece that gets underway from August 22 to 30 where she will be seeking her first medal.
“I’ve not started training for track yet, I will run two road races in India and New York then come back to polish on my speed work as I wait for 10,000 trials. For now I can’t say I will come home with Gold because I don’t know how I will perform at trials,” Chebet, a former African 10,000m Bronze medallist said.
However, with the return of double 5,000m and 10,000m World Champion Vivian Cheruiyot, Chebet is aware of the stiff competition expected at the National Trials that may also include Cherono among others.
“Vivian coming back is a good thing because she will make the team stronger but if we all make the team including Cherono, it will depend on who has more energy so this time round I’m hoping to run well,” she added.
With Olympics and defending champion Tirunesh Dibaba out on maternity leave, Kenya has a chance or reclaiming the title last won by Cheruiyot in Daegu, South Korea four years ago.