Still basking in the glow of the record-breaking feat in Florence, Italy, two-time Olympic and world champion Faith Kipyegon hopes to continue with her rich vein of form against a quality field at the Paris Diamond League on Friday.
This time though, Kipyegon has opted to run in the women’s 5,000m instead of her 1,500m specialty.
Kipyegon has expressed a desire to move up to the 5,000 m in the future and the Paris meeting provides an opportunity to test herself against the best in the competition.
She will be up against the world 10,000m record holder and champion Letsenbet Gidey of Ethiopia in the 12 and a half-lap race.
Kipyegon is likely to improve her 5,000m personal best ( 14:31.95 ) which she set in 2017 in Paris considering the calibre of competition present.
Gidey has on multiple occasions proven that she’s bang on track in her quest to fast times.
The 25-year-old middle-distance runner has a wonderful opportunity to confirm this in the French capital, where she is competing for the first time.
Compatriot Ejghayehu Tiaye will also be in the mix. She ran the best time in the world of 14:12.95 in 2022 and was the world 5km record holder ( 14:19 ) and can not be ruled out.
That is, on the condition that the race favourites can keep pace with the rhythm set by the three pacesetters including Beatrice Chepkoech, another world record holder, albeit in the 3,000m steeplechase ( 8:44.32 ).
World 800m champion Emmanuel Korir will be aiming to show his might in the two-lap race as he faces Djamel Sedjati (Algeria) and Marco Arop (Canada).
In the sprint category, Meeting de Paris regular Marie-Josée Ta Lou from the Ivory Coast is joining an already impressive 200m start list, which includes Briton Dina Asher-Smith and American Abby Steiner.
Another well-known name among sprints fans, the highly experienced Yohan Blake, will attempt to rediscover his second youth on the heels of Italian Marcell Jacobs and American Noah Lyles.
In the women’s lap of the track, American Sydney McLaughlin will have her work cut out against Dominican Marileidy Paulino ( 48.99 ) as well as Bahraini Salwa Eid Naser, world champion in 2019.
