Vivian Jepkemei Cheruiyot
KenyaActive- Born
- Sep 11, 1983 (43 years old)
- Birthplace
- Keiyo District, Kenya
- Events
- 10 000 m · 5000 m
- Height
- 1.54 m
- Weight
- 40 kg
Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot (born 11 September 1983) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She represented Kenya at the Summer Olympics in 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2016, winning the silver medal in the 5,000 metres and bronze in the 10,000 metres at the 2012 London Olympics as well as gold in the 5,000 m and silver in the 10,000 m at the 2016 Rio Olympics, setting a new Olympic record in the former. Cheruiyot won the silver medal in the 5,000 m at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and became the world champion in the event at the 2009 edition, repeating this achievement in 2011, when she also won the 10,000 m.
She added gold for the latter event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics. After taking a silver in the 3,000 metres at the 2010 World Indoor Championships, Cheruiyot won a number of outdoor 5,000 m titles that year, becoming Commonwealth Games, African and Continental Cup champion, as well as winning the Diamond League title. She is a three-time Diamond League champion, having also won the 2011 and 2012 editions.
She is the Kenyan record holder for the 2,000 m and 10,000 m. In 2012, Cheruiyot was voted Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year. She is nicknamed "pocket rocket".
As of Nov 13, 2026: 10 000 m 29:32.53 (#9 all-time), 5000 m 14:20.87 (#19 all-time), 2026 season best 48:53 (Sep 6, 2026) · Last competition: Russian 15km Championships, Sep 6, 2026, 48:53 · Olympic Games: 1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze · World Championships: 4 gold, 1 silver · 43 years old
Personal bests
WA points calculator →Medals
| Competitions | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| World Championships | 4 | 1 | – | 5 |
| Total | 5 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
Progression
| Season | Discipline | Result | Wind | Date | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15Kilometr | 48:53 | – | Sep 6, 2026 | Russian 15km Championships |
| 2025 | 10Kilometr | 31:35 | – | May 18, 2025 | Great Manchester Run |
| 2025 | RoadRace | 36:18 | – | Aug 17, 2025 | ASICS Falmouth Road Race, Falmouth High School, Falmouth, MA - Non-standard distance: 11,265m - 7 Miles |
| 2025 | Semi | 1:09:27 | – | Mar 9, 2025 | EDP Lisbon Half Marathon |
| 2025 | Marathon | 2:22:32 | – | Apr 27, 2025 | TCS London Marathon |
| 2024 | CrossCount | 33:52 | – | Mar 2, 2024 | Kenyan Cross Country Championships, Prison Staff Training College, Ruiru - XC 2.0km |
| 2024 | Semi | 1:07:54 | – | Sep 8, 2024 | Great North Run, South Shields |
| 2024 | Marathon | 2:21:46 | – | Apr 7, 2024 | Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris |