David Rudisha leads Kenyan horde in Shanghai

Two-time Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha will kick start his season at the Shanghai IAAF Diamond League in China on Saturday.

The 800m world record-holder will be looking for a good start and points at the second stop of the 14-leg IAAF Diamond League calendar.

The 28-year-old finished fifth on his debut in Shanghai last year before going on to retain the Olympic title in Rio in impressive style. He will be up against compatriots Ferguson Rotich and Alfred Kipketer in the two-lap race.

“Onboard to @ShanghaiDL that is where I will kick off my season and hoping for blistering start,” Rudisha tweeted on Tuesday evening, as he posted a picture of himself on a plane.

In last year’s race in Shanghai, Rudisha was leading on the final curve before being passed by Rotich, who won the race in 1 minute, 45.68 seconds. Rudisha finished in 1:46.24, well off his world record of 1:40.91.

Other Kenyan athletes who will also be in Shanghai include Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Chepng'etich, Rio Olympics 5000m silver medallist Hellen Obiri and 3000m steeplechase world champion Hyvin Kiyeng.

Obiri warmed up for Shanghai by defending her 5,000m title at the Kenya Defence Forces Championships on Tuesday at the Nyayo National Stadium.

The 27-year-old clocked 15:43.2 beating a strong field that included reigning World Half Marathon champion Joycline Jepkosgei, former KDF champion Veronica Nyaruai among others.

“I’m fully concentrating on 5,000m and my target is a podium finish at the World Championship in London in August. I was hoping to face Ethiopia’s Almaz (Ayana) in Shanghai but it is unfortunate that she won’t be there,” Obiri told reporters after her victory on Tuesday.

She will have however be up against Ethiopian pair of Senbere Teferi and Sofia Assefa. Teferi was third in this race in 2015 and fifth in the Olympic final last year, while 2012 Olympic steeplechase silver medallist Assefa will be running her first 5000m race for 10 years.

Fireworks are expected in the 3000m steeplechase as Kiyeng battles Bahrain’s Olympic champion and world record-holder Ruth Jebet.

Kiyeng won their pair’s first clash of the year running the fastest time in the world this year to win in Doha last Friday. Kiyeng was more than a second and a half ahead of the rest in 9:00:12 while Jebet was third.