Injuries to both of Zeddy Cherotich’s knees immediately after her historic appearance at the 2022 Paris Olympic Games forced her to consider ending her fighting career.
Doctors had proposed surgery on the two knees, but Zeddy Cherotich opted for specialised physiotherapy treatment at the Kenya Defence Forces Memorial.
It might have taken Cherotich, a former national javelin champion, close to one year to heal, but it’s the national women’s team head coach, Alice Chebet, who dragged her back to judo again.
Cherotich’s hard work and determination paid dividends when she won her first continental medal, securing bronze in women’s under-78 kilogrammes at the 47th Africa Senior Judo Championships that ended on Sunday at the Moi International Sports Centre (MISC), Indoor Arena.
Cherotich edged out Megan Rasnydert from South Africa in the first round before losing to the eventual gold medal winner Arij Agueb from Tunisia in the quarter-finals.
Cherotich got a chance at the Repechage to battle for bronze. The mother of two, who took up judo four years ago, beat Lou Carlie of Cote d’Ivoire before downing Hajanirina Andriambololona from Madagascar for bronze.
The 35-year-old Kenya Defence Forces sergeant, who was the first Kenyan woman to compete at the Olympics during the 2024 Paris Games, would again make history as the second Kenyan to win a medal at the continental championships.
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Photo credit: Photo | Joan Pereruan
Esther Akinyi Rutugi, the pioneer Kenyan female judoka, claimed silver at the 2013 African Judo Championships in Maputo, Mozambique, to register the country’s first medal in the sport.
Cherotoch had reached the quarter-finals of the 2023 championships in Morocco and 2024 championships in Egypt before losing in the first round last year in Cote d’Ivoire.
It’s her performance in 2023 and 2024 that gave her 440 points to see her qualify for the Paris Olympics. In between that, she had tried out track and field, winning the Kenyan women’s javelin title in 2011 and 2024.
For winning bronze last weekend, Cherotich pushed her points to 540 in the world ranking to also qualify for her first Commonwealth Games scheduled for July 24 to August 2 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Zeddy Cherotich of Kenya fights Patricia Sampaio of Portugal during Paris 2024 Olympics.
Photo credit: Joan Pereruan | Nation Media Group
The massive points put Cherotich strongly in the pathway for a spot in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
“The knee injuries were her major worry. She thought it wise to quit the game than undergo surgery,” said Chebet. “I told her she would recover and return since she had unfinished business.”
Chebet noted that Cherotich had matured in the game and couldn’t’ just quit' if the doctors were to return her to form.
“I told her the Paris Olympics had opened doors for her and that she was like fine wine that gets better with age.”
Chebet said upon returning to training, they had to change several things after zeroing in on where she was falling short in major competitions with the assistance of the national head coach, Yusuke Utashiro from Japan.
“We watched video clips from top performers in Europe and Asia, where we looked at their movements, grip and workout and started to apply the techniques in Cherotich’s training,” said Chebet.
She said that Cherotich also started sparring with men and intensified strength and conditioning training.
“I feel much better now. This is big for me, qualifying for the Commonwealth Games for the first time.
“I thank God I am achieving this in judo after having tried for 14 years in athletics to qualify for a global event,” said Cherotich.
Kenya’s Zeddy Cherotich (right) battles her opponent during the African Open Judo Championships in April in Cairo, Egypt.
Photo credit: Pool
“Even though I can attribute my success to a change of grip from one dimension to several and counter-attack techniques, the roaring fans inspired me. This is big since it's my first continental medal,” said Cherotich, who is married to long-distance runner Steve Ng’etich.
Cherotich feels she is now ripe to contest for a medal at the Commonwealth Games and write more history.
“It's possible with good exposure and training," she said.
