Kenyan stars eye Diamond League glory ahead of Tokyo World Athletics Championships

Double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet celebrates after breaking the 5000m world record at the Eugene Diamond League meeting on July 5. [Courtesy, Diamond League] With four Diamond Leagues including the two-day final pending, Kenyan charges getting set for the Tokyo World Athletics Championships have a busy August. Just a month to the international showpiece set for September 13-21, top guns are striking a balance between World Championship preparations and chasing Diamond League glory. At the Diamond Leagues, particularly the winner-take-it-all final in Zurich, Switzerland (August 27-28), athletics stars will be expected to face off in what is likely to be a mini-World Championship. But before the final, hot contests will have been concluded and debates settled when Diamond League action gets underway in Silesia, Poland on Saturday, Lausanne, Switzerland (August 20) and in Brussels on August 22. Two women, with the most decorated CVs in track racing - four-time world champion Faith Kipyegon and double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet are lining up in Silesia this Saturday. But the duo will be switching roles in the third last leg of the 2025 Diamond League circuit. Kipyegon will be going for the women's 3000m glory while Chebet will be in Silesia in an attempt to dictate proceedings in the 1500m, an event where the latter has dominated and holds the world record. Athletics observers say the duo could be gauging their endurance and speed ahead of the Diamond League final and ultimately at the Tokyo World Championships next month. Kipyegon is tipped to break an 8:06 barrier, which was the time achieved by Junxia Wang at the distance in 1993. Kipyegon ran her 8:23.55 personal best 11 years ago in Qatar when she was barely 20 years old. "She is capable of more and she knows more such as Ingebrigtsen (Jakob) improving the 3000m world record in our stadium last year. On the men's side, just as on the women's now, the record looked unbreakable. But nothing is forever. It looks like Faith is dreaming of proving it true," a statement from Silesia Diamond League organisers said in part. Athletes including Ethiopian women, Marta Alemayo, Mekedes Alemshete and Ugandan Charity Cherop will be in the women's 3000m mix. Tokyo-bound 1500m men are also putting to test their shape in Silesia. Former world champion Timothy Cheruiyot and former World Under-20 gold medallist Reynold Cheruiyot, both in Team Kenya to the World Championships Tokyo25 are contesting podium places in a star-studded field assembled for the Silesia Diamond League. They will be taking on big names such as two-time 3000m steeplechase world and Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco and other stars in the 1500m clash. Remember, Kenya is fresh from defeating Morocco in an African Nations Championship (CHAN) Group A match in Nairobi on Sunday and El Bakkali could be plotting to avenge for his nation's football team (Atlas Lions) in Silesia. Olympic bronze medallist Yared Nuguse of USA and Norwegian world bronze medallist Narve Nordas are also lined up. Also in the men's 1500m mix are Kenyan stars Abel Kipsang and Festus Lagat. African silver medallist Lilian Odira who will be flying Kenyan colours alongside defending champion Mary Moraa, Sarah Moraa and Vivian Kiprotich will be the lone Kenyan in the women's 800m race. The Lausanne Diamond League programme has a number of middle and long distance races and is likely to attract more Kenyan bigwigs who are getting ready for Tokyo. Women's 10km world record holder Agnes Jebet Ngetich will be competing in 5000m in Brussels, a race that organisers are likely to produce fast times. She was a front-row witness when Beatrice Chebet set the world record at 13:58.06 at the Diamond League meeting in Eugene earlier in July. Ngetich finished second in that race, which was also the third fastest time ever for that distance (14:01.29).

Kenyan stars eye Diamond League glory ahead of Tokyo World Athletics Championships

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