Battle royale as Kiyeng, Jebet Chespol meet in Paris

What you need to know:

  • Kipyegon Bett, last year’s winner 2014 World Under-20 champion Alfred Kipketer and 2016 Diamond League series winner Ferguson Rotich will face-off in the men’s 800m race.
  • Ronald Kwemoi seeks his second victory after his Bowerman Mile win at Prefontaine Classic in men’s 3,000m field that has Commonwealth 3,000m steeplechase champion Jonathan Ndiku among others.
  • Chepng’etich will be favourite to win in Paris where she was beaten to second place by Laura Muir from Britain last year.

Olympic 1,500m gold medallist Faith Chepng’etich and World 3,000m steeplechase champion Hyvin Kiyeng take their battle to Paris for the seventh leg of the Diamond League on Saturday.

London World Championships-bound World Under-20 800m champion Kipyegon Bett, last year’s winner 2014 World Under-20 champion Alfred Kipketer and 2016 Diamond League series winner Ferguson Rotich will face-off in the men’s 800m race.

Ronald Kwemoi, who won the Kenyan World Championships trials in 1,500m, seeks his second victory after his Bowerman Mile win at Prefontaine Classic in men’s 3,000m field that has Commonwealth 3,000m steeplechase champion Jonathan Ndiku among others.

Chepng’etich, who won in Shanghai in 3:59.22 and Prefontaine Classic in 3:59.67, will again be favourite to win in Paris where she was beaten to second place by Laura Muir from Britain last year.

Muir chalked a Meet Record of 3:55.22, beating Chepng’etich to second place in 3:56.72.

It will be the first time Chepng’etich is facing Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, who has two fastest times this season with victories from Rome and Hengelo of 3:56.22 and 3:56.14 respectively.

“There is nothing to fear about. I will just run my race and feel how my body reacts ahead of the World Championships,” said the World 1,500m silver medallist Chepng’etich, who won the World Championships trials last weekend.

Also in the mix is Winnie Chebet, who finished second at the Worlds trials and posted a personal best of 3:59.16, finishing second behind Hassan in Rome.

The women’s 3,000m steeplechase battle is a replica of the last year’s race where Olympic champion Kenya-born Ruth Jebet of Bahrain set a new world record in a new time of 8:52.78, beating Hyvin Kiyeng, the Olympic silver medallist, to second place in 9:01.96.

RICH FIELD

The field this year is even richer with World Under-20 3,000m steeplechase champion Cellphine Chespol in contention, having beaten Jebet at Prefontaine with the second fastest time ever and a national record of 8:58.78.

Kiyeng, Jebet and Chespol first faced off this season in Doha where Kiyeng won followed by Beatrice Chepkoech, Jebet and Chespol in that order.

Jebet would turn the tables in Shanghai where she claimed victory, beating Kiyeng and Chespol to second and third respectively.

With Kiyeng missing in action, Chespol stunned Jebet in Prefontaine, with Chepkoech coming in between with a personal best of 9:00.70.

“I am not under any pressure to perform. I will take things calmly,” said Chespol, who is also the World Under-18 2,000m steeplechase champion.

Kiyeng, who competed in 5,000m during the World trials, Chespol, Chepkoech and Commonwealth champion Purity Kirui are in Team Kenya for the World Championships.

Kirui is also in the Paris mix alongside Ethiopian Sofia Assefa, the 2012 London Olympics silver medallist.

World Under-20 800m champion Kipyegon Bett stunned Olympic and World champion David Rudisha for his maiden Diamond League 800m victory in Shanghai but finished second in Rome, losing the battle to Adam Kszczot from Poland.