Kenyan stars seek Diamond League titles in Zurich tonight
Athletics
By
Jonathan Komen and World Athletics
| Sep 08, 2022
The world's greatest athletes will aim to earn a piece of hardware this season when the Stadion Letzigrund Stadium hosts the two-day Wanda Diamond League final in Zurich tonight.
But there are mouth-watering clashes on the card tonight, with a number of Kenyans lining in various races.
Three women in the steeplechase field have broken nine minutes this year, but the woman of the moment is Jackline Chepkoech.
The 18-year-old Kenyan missed out on making the World Championships final, but rebounded well to win the Commonwealth Games title in 9:15.68, a Personal Best which she then reduced to 9:09.72 in Monaco five days later. More recently, the 2021 world U20 champion smashed her all-time mark as she won in Brussels with 9:02.43, making her the second-fastest U20 athlete in history for the steeplechase.
Two-time world and Olympic champion Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon is looking to cap an undefeated season at 1500m, and a win in Zurich would seal her third Diamond League Trophy.
She has raced just once since the World Championships; in a world record attempt in Monaco, she came tantalisingly close to the mark with 3:50.37. She'll start as the overwhelming favourite in Zurich, where her main focus will be on winning, not on records. But the likes of world 5000m champion Gudaf Tsegay, Britain's Olympic silver medallist Laura Muir, Brussels Diamond League winner Ciara Mageean and Ethiopian duo Diribe Welteji and Freweyni Hailu will ensure the pace - and the race - is a good one.
When it comes to the Diamond League, Timothy Cheruiyot has dominated in recent years in 1500m, winning four trophies between 2017 and 2021. Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen, however, has had the upper hand this year. Despite his shock defeat at the World Championships, Ingebrigtsen won at the Diamond League meetings in Eugene, Oslo and Lausanne, the latter with a world-leading 3:29.05.