Upcoming athletics star Faith Cherotich is set for an unusual introduction on the global stage during the World Athletics Championships when, she will make debut in Budapest, Hungary at just 18.

The teen has been tipped for athletics eminence after qualifying to represent Kenya in women’s 3000m steeplechase, having finished third in the Athletics Kenya trials last week.

Cherotich is a Form Four student at Kaliyet Secondary School in Kericho County and she has already shown a glimpse of her potential that could be converted into a medals haul at senior level with the first big test being her tour of duty in Budapest.

However, juggling school work and training for World Championships could prove a tough task for her at the moment as she races to shape her future both on track and in class.

Team Kenya head coach Julius Kirwa says he and the technical bench are aware of the challenge and that they are working on a solution to ensure all is not lost for the steeplechaser.

“We have set a programme to make sure she attends a number of classes in a nearby school at Kasarani where she will be camping. Athletics Kenya is having conversations with schools around the Kasarani Stadium where she could be studying after training especially in the afternoon. I will have a conversation with her when they report to camp (today) to see what can work well with her during this period,” coach Kirwa told People Daily Sport.

Cherotich is not new in the realm of athletics. She has already collected two key world accolades so far. First, she grabbed a bronze medal in girls 3000m steeplechase in front of a charged Kasarani Stadium during the World U-20 Championships in Nairobi in 2021. A year later, she basked in glory of yet another career success after clinching a gold medal in a similar race in Cali, Colombia.

In Budapest, she is expected to team up with world record holder in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, Beatrice Chepkoech, and 2022 Commonwealth Games champion, Jackline Chepkoech, as they fight to reclaim the title that was snatched by Kenyan-born Kazakhstani Norah Jeruto in Oregon last summer.

“I did not expect to finish in position three in the trials because some days back I had an injury that really troubled me. All in all, I am glad to have made the cut to represent Kenya at the World Championships,” she said in an interview.

Now it is a matter of working hard in training so as to achieve her target of finishing in the medal bracket in Budapest.

“I am also excited to be running against my seniors and I know this is where the real challenge is,” she said.