But it remains to be seen if the athletes would be cautious enough and ensure to adhere to the mandatory doping tests ahead of the World Championships.
The men's 5000m, one of several highly competitive events in the Belgian capital, resulted in Krop chopping more than a second off his Personal Best to win in 12:45.71, elevating him to sixth on the world all-time list.
Pacemakers led the field through the first 1000m in 2:33.68 and maintained that tempo through to the second kilometre, reached in 5:07.15. Yomif Kejelcha led from Krop through 3000m in 7:41.74 with most of the field running in single file behind.
Krop moved into the lead 300m later, maintaining the metronomic pace as the field began to whittle away behind him. USA's Grant Fisher was the only athlete capable of sticking with Krop on the final two laps, but Krop pulled away from him with ease on the home straight, kicking ahead to win in 12:45.71, making him the second-fastest Kenyan in history.
jkkomen@standardmedia.co.ke