World 800m champion Mary Moraa is set for a thrilling showdown with Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson during the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, this weekend.
At the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, last year, Moraa beat Hodgkinson to the title after clocking 1:56.03 with the Brit second in 1:56.34.
Moraa's recent international exploits have been stellar including the 800m title at the Doha Diamond League where she clocked a 1:57.91 season's best.
This improved her previous season's best of 1:57.96, set at the Kip Keino Classic on April 20.
In Doha, Britain's Jemma Reekie finished second in 1:58.42 while Benin's Noelie Yarigo took third in 1:58.70.
Despite her 800m success, Moraa narrowly missed the 400m title at the USAF Los Angeles Grand Prix, finishing second in 50.56 behind Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic, who clocked 50.27.
A strong performance in Eugene could boost Moraa's morale ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Hodgkinson makes her first 800m appearance of the season.
During last year's Prefontaine Classic, the 22-year-old Hodgkinson placed second in 1:55.19, behind Athing Mu (1:54.97).
In what was expected to be a highly competitive three-way race, Olympic champion Mu pulled out of the competition on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury.
The women's 3,000m steeplechase also promises high drama, featuring a showdown between world silver medallist Beatrice Chepkoech and world champion Winfred Yavi.
Chepkoech, the world record holder, triumphed at the Xiamen Diamond League in China, clocking 8:55.40.
She also secured bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow in 8:22.68 behind Ethiopia’s Tsegay Gudaf (8:21.13) and USA’s Elle Pierre (8:20.87).
Chepkoech will seek revenge after finishing second to Yavi at last year's World Championships in Budapest. Yavi won with a world-lead time of 8:54.29 as Chepkoech nailed an 8:53.98 season's best.
Africa's fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala, will be up against the likes of 2019 World Champion Christian Coleman of the USA in the 100m.
Omanyala is aiming for his first win of the season after placing fifth at the Kip Keino Classic (10.03) and second at the Atlanta City Games (10.00), where South Africa’s Akani Simbine set a world lead time of 9.90.
