•“I'm delighted to come back again to the Doha Diamond League,” said Kipyegon, who started her 2022 season with a 3000m runner-up finish in Qatar's capital city.
•Another Kenyan who will be in action is 2015 world champion Julius Yego who will face Trinidad and Tobago’s 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott, Germany’s European champion Julian Weber and Finland’s Oliver Helander.
Image: /FILE
Two-time world and Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon opens her 2023 Diamond League campaign tonight in Doha, Qatar.
The middle-distance superstar will be looking for her maiden win in her specialty in Doha this season.
She is yet to win her 1,500m specialty in Doha. She has raced at the Diamond League meeting five times across three different distances, winning twice.
She still has fond memories of her 1,500m race in Doha in 2013 when she registered her first sub-four-minute performance, clocking an African U20 record of 3:56.98.
She also set a Kenyan record of 3:54.22 in Doha to win silver at the 2019 World Championships.
Kipyegon, who improved her own national record to 3:50.37 last year, will take on world indoor 3000m champion Lemlem Hailu, as well as four Ethiopian women who broke four minutes mark last year.
“I'm delighted to come back again to the Doha Diamond League,” said Kipyegon, who started her 2022 season with a 3000m runner-up finish in Qatar's capital city.
The 29-year-old added: “After a winter of focusing on endurance and strength, it's a great chance for me to start real racing in Doha and to see where I am in terms of the build-up towards the World Championships later on in the season.”
Kipyegon will defend her title at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August.
She will be up against Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji, Freweyni Hailu, Hirut Meshesha, and Axumawit Embaye in Doha. Germany’s European 5000m champion Konstanze Klosterhalfen and Australian duo Jessica Hull and Abbey Caldwell should also be in contention in a competitive field.
Another Kenyan who will be in action is 2015 world champion Julius Yego.
The former Olympic silver medallist will be up against Trinidad and Tobago’s 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott, Germany’s European champion Julian Weber and Finland’s Oliver Helander.
In the women’s steeplechase world record-holder, Beatrice Chepkoech will go head-to-head with Olympic champion, Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai.
Also in action will be, world bronze medallist Mekides Abebe, Commonwealth champion Jackline Chepkoech, Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi, and 2017 world champion Emma Coburn of the USA.
World indoor silver medallist Noah Kibet will seek to defend the men’s 800m title but faces stiff competition from world silver medallist Djamel Sedjati of Algeria.
The Diamond League meeting in Doha is the first leg of athletics' premier one-day series, which comprises 14 of the most prestigious events in global track and field.
Athletes compete for points at the 13 series meetings in a bid to qualify for the two-day Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene on September 16-17.
After Doha, action will head to Rabat, Morocco where Kenyan speedster and Africa 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala is expected to make his debut.