Rudisha, Chepng’etich eye good start in China

Olympic champions David Rudisha (800 metres) and Faith Chepng’etich (1,500m) eye a good start to the season when they field at Shanghai’s leg of the Diamond League Saturday afternoon.

Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Hellen Obiri also hopes to return good times in her season opener while World 400m hurdles champion Nicholas Bett is targeting improved performance after a poor run in Doha.

Rudisha, who was placed fifth last year, faces a fine field that has the 2016 Diamond League Series winner Ferguson Rotich, the 2016 World Under-20 champion Kipyegon Bett, 2014  World Under-20 champion Alfred Kipketer and Polish pair of Adam Kszczot and Marcin Lewandowski.

Unlike before when Rudisha started his season early with races in Australia in February ahead of the Diamond League, the 2011 and 2015 World champion opted to start the current season late with local training.

“I decided to change my programme his time round for a late start. The one thing I didn’t want is to hit form early during the season since the challenge of maintaining form to the end is enormous,” said Rudisha, adding that his desire is to be in good shape ahead of the London World Championships in August.

“I really don’t have much expectation in Shanghai, this being my first race of the season but my ultimate goal is defend my title in London, God willing,” said Rudisha, who holds the World record of 1 minute and 40:91 seconds set when he won the 2012 London Olympics before defending the title in 2016 Olympics.

Chepng’etich returns to the track where she broke the Kenyan record to win the women’s 1,500m in 3:56.82 before improving it later at Prefontaine Classic in a new time of 3:56.41. That definitely smoothened her path to Rio Olympics victory where she stunned World champion and record holder Genzebe Dibaba.

With Dibaba missing in Shanghai after finishing third in Doha in 800m contest, Chepng’etich will face other Ethiopians in Dawit Seyaum and Besu Sado, who were eighth and ninth in the Rio final.

With Olympic 5,000m gold medallist Vivian Cheruiyot and World 5,000m champion Almaz Ayana missing in action, the stage is set for Obiri. Two years ago, it was Ayana who lit up the Shanghai Stadium with her breakthrough performance over 5,000m. Obiri takes on two of Ayana’s compatriots, Senbere Teferi and Sofia Assefa, who will be seeking to make their mark in the first women’s 5,000m of the Diamond League season.

“I really can’t say much since this is the first race of the season and I don’t know how my rivals are,” said Obiri, who has personal best 14:25.78 from Brussels last year. “I can only aim to post good times in this Chinese city.”

Assefa’s absence hardly weakened the 3,000m steeplechase as World champion Hyvin Kiyeng hopes to pick up from where she left in Doha with another victory. 

Kiyeng once again faces Bahrain’s Olympic champion and world record holder Ruth Jebet whom she beat to third in Doha.

Kiyeng was more than a minute and a half ahead of the rest in 9:00:12 while Jebet was third.

Celliphine Chespol will also come to Shanghai full of confidence after she equalled the world junior record in Doha. The 18-year-old world junior champion was fourth in a World Under-20 record of 9:05:70, and should finish higher than her seventh place in the Shanghai meeting last year.