Kenyan horde descend on Shanghai track
What you need to know:
- Kiplagat’s victory in Monaco ranked him as the fourth fastest man of all time.
- History beckons for the 200m prodigy Carvin Nkanata as he takes to the track as the first Kenyan sprinter at the Diamond League.
Kenya’s 2014 Diamond League Series winners Silas Kiplagat (1,500m), Eunice Sum (above) (800m) and Jairus Birech (3,000m steeplechase) open their 2015 campaign in Shanghai on Sunday.
History beckons for the 200m prodigy Carvin Nkanata as he takes to the track as the first Kenyan sprinter at the Diamond League.
Fresh from winning the World Cross Country senior women title in Guiyang, China in March, Agnes Jebet, 19, is ready to hit the track as she eyes glory in the 5,000m race.
Kiplagat, who glided to personal best of three minutes and 27.64 for a new Diamond League record in Monaco last year, headlines the rich field that has three athletes, who have run under 3:30.
Kiplagat is up against a strong field of fellow Kenyans in the likes of the Commonwealth Games 1,500m champion James Magut and World junior 1,500m record holder Ronald Kwemoi, who also won silver at the Commonwealth Games.
Also in the race is Nixon Chepseba (2:29.77), one of Kenya’s representatives at the 2012 London Olympics and 2013 Worlds, who will be aiming to recapture the Shanghai title he won last in 2011.
Kiplagat’s victory in Monaco ranked him as the fourth fastest man of all time.
