Recently crowned Valencia Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono has urged young athletes to work hard and be patient, and success will come their way.
Speaking in Kabarnet, Baringo County while receiving his Head of State Commendation through the County Commissioner Henry Wafula, the 2020 Tokyo Games Olympiad, said he trained for many years before breaking into the limelight.
“I want to thank President Uhuru Kenyatta for the award I have received. I also want to encourage upcoming athletes to continue training hard because in athletics, one might take long before excelling,” said Cherono.
“In my case, it took me five years to get on the podium and 10 years to be in the national team,” the 33-year-old runner said.
Cherono donned the Kenyan colours for the first time at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where he finished fourth in the men’s marathon race in Sapporo.
He was one of the athletes honoured by President Kenyatta on Mashujaa Day.
Cherono, who trains under the Rosa Associati Management, is currently ranked as the eighth fastest marathoner of all time in the world.
He has won a couple of major marathons including Chicago and Boston and was recently crowned the Valencia Marathon champion.
The Kaptagat-based athlete on Sunday timed 2 hours, 05 minutes and 12 seconds ahead of Ethiopia’s Chalu Deso who was second in 2:05:16 while Kenya’s Philemon Kacheran finished third place in 2:05:19.
The women category saw Nancy Jelagat cross the line in 2:19:31 ahead of Ethiopians Woldu Etagegne (2:20:16) and Degefa Beyenu (2:23:04) who came in second and third respectively.
Cherono, who won the 2019 Boston and Chicago marathons, said that he will be taking the Christmas break as he waits for his manager to decide on which races he will feature in next year.
Wafula asked upcoming athletes to emulate Cherono by working hard and focusing on their careers for better results.
“Cherono is a good example to youth who are training in this region and they should follow his example because nothing comes easy,” said Wafula. BY DAILY NATION