NAIROBI, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Kenya`s former world cross country champion Vivian Cheruiyot said Thursday she relished facing tough Ethiopian opposition at next month`s world athletics championships in Osaka.

Cheruiyot broke the Kenyan national 5,000m record in Oslo in June when she pushed Ethiopian Olympic champion Meseret Defar all the way to break the world record. Her time of 14:22.51 is the second fastest time ever.

But the 22-year-old will have this weekend`s world championships trials to contend with first before making sure of her place in Osaka.