NAIROBI, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Olympic 5,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya says she may opt for early retirement should she win the gold medal in marathon at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Cheruiyot, 35, believes she still has over five years to compete at the higher levels, but may consider cutting it back if they claim the gold at the world's biggest sporting event.
Cheruiyot said she believes that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will give her a perfect opportunity to bow out in style after a stellar career.
"I always wanted the marathon gold and when I gained it in 2016, I said I had all the medals in my collections. But I want to bow out on a high and the Tokyo Olympics are a good chance for me to do so," she added.
Cheruiyot will face stiff challenges in her quest to be named in the Kenyan team to Tokyo and must be in top form from now on.
The diminutive athlete will be leading a strong Kenyan delegation to this month's London Marathon (April 22) and knows she needs to start adding big city wins if she is to be considered for the marathon team.
Having debuted in the distance in London last year, finishing fourth in 2:23:50 after smoothly transiting from track to road running, Cheruiyot went on to claim her first marathon victory in Frankfurt, Germany last Sept clocking 2:23:35 to break her Personal Best of 2:23:50.
Cheruiyot is also preparing for this year's London Marathon this month where she will be facing defending champion Mary Keitany, 2017 Berlin Marathon winner Gladys Cherono and 2017 Honolulu Marathon holder Brigid Kosgei.
Keitany will be eying to break the world marathon record and Cheruiyot has welcomed the challenge saying it will help her be a better athlete.
"I have no intentions of breaking the marathon record. But I will be among the top runners and I can only eye to improve my running time. If I win the race, it will be a major bonus," she added.
