Sharon Cherop
 Cherop at the half-way point of the 2012 Boston Marathon |
||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Kenya
|
||
| Women's athletics | ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
2011 Daegu | Marathon |
Sharon Jemutai Cherop (born 16 March 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. She won a bronze medal at the age of sixteen in the 5000 metres at the World Junior Championships. She was the bronze medal winner in the marathon at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and won the Boston Marathon in 2012.
After her junior medals, it was not until 2010 that she enjoyed senior level success. She made her marathon debut at the Twin Cities Marathon (coming third) and won her first marathons in 2010, first at the Hamburg Marathon and then at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, which she won in 2:22:42 for the fastest marathon time on Canadian soil. Her personal best of 2:22:39 was set at the 2012 Dubai Marathon.
Cherop grew up in a family of cattle-raisers in the Marakwet District of Kenya. She and all three of her siblings took up athletics at a young age. She ran for her school, Tirap Primary School, and began competing at province level at age 13. She was inspired by Catherine Ndereba, who lived locally, and Evans Rutto (another local marathoner) promised to help her if she performed well.
Cherop's first major competition was the 1999 All-Africa Games at the age of 15, but she did not make the podium, coming in fourth place. She was the bronze medallist over 5000 metres at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics, finishing behind Dorcus Inzikuru and Meseret Defar. She started training with Sing'ore Girls, under running coach Boniface Tiren, and worked alongside other promising young runners, including future world champions Janeth Jepkosgei and Vivian Cheruiyot. A knee injury cut short her running season in 2001.
...
Wikipedia