Wycliffe Kinyamal eyes glory in Shanghai

Commonwealth Games 800m champion Wycliffe Kinyamal has set his sights on extending his brilliant form on the track to the IAAF Diamond league series.

Kinyamal, who will be in the Shanghai Diamond League 800m start list Saturday, said his preparations have been smooth.

“Diamond League races are competitive and you have to play your cards well to win,” said the athlete, who won Kenya’s first gold medal at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.

“Kaptagat is a good place to train and being with world beaters like the Olympic marathon champion (Eliud) Kipchoge, (Geoffrey) Kamworor, (Abel) Kirui among others motivates me a lot,” he said of his Kaptagat base.

The Mogonga High School alumni, who started off as a high jumper before switching to the track, hinted at going for a new personal best in Shanghai. He set his current lifetime best of 1:43.94 in Rovereto, Italy last year.

Other Kenyans in the race include Jonathan Kitilit and Solomon Lekuta.

RAFFLE FEATHERS

In the 1,500m, World and Commonwealth games silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot will lead Bethwell Birgen, Charles Simotwo, Kumari Taki and Justus Soget in Shanghai.

Soget, who was placed third in the 1500m in Doha in a non-Diamond League event, will certainly push for a higher placing as will Ethiopia’s rising teenage talent Samuel Tefera, who stormed to 1500m gold at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham.

The World indoor bronze medallist Abdelaati Iguider of Morocco and the 34-year-old Ethiopian Aman Wote, who finished one place behind in Birmingham, will also compete.

Olympic and world 3,000m steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto will be out to raffle fathers in 5,000m with Davis Kiplangat, Vincent Letting, Stanley Waithaka and Cyrus Rutto also in the race.

Commonwealth Games 1,500m bronze medallist Beatrice Chepkoech will be leading her compatriots in seeking the 3,000m title. The race however doesn’t count towards the series points.

Others lining up include Cellphine Chespol, Fancy Cherono, Joan Chepkemoi, Roseline Chepng’etich and Norah Jeruto.

MOUTH-WATERING

The marquee women’s sprint event – the 200m – promises to be no less mouth-watering as all three podium finishers from last year’s World Championship final in London clash.

The 2015 and 2017 world 200m champion Dafne Schippers returns to her specialty event after finishing sixth – albeit in a non-too-shabby 11.03 - over 100m in Doha.

The Dutch athlete faces Marie-Josée Ta Lou, the world 200m silver medallist, who triumphed over the shorter sprint in Doha and on the evidence of that display will be a major factor over the half-lap distance.

World 200m bronze medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo is also likely to be a significant factor. She makes her seasonal Diamond League debut buoyed by winning the Commonwealth 200m title in Gold Coast last month courtesy of a swift 22.09 – a performance which elevates the tall Bahamian to number two on the world lists.

Another athlete to be considered is 2016 Olympic 400m bronze medallist Shericka Jackson of Jamaica, who last month posted a lifetime best of 22.18 to win Commonwealth silver.

Additional reporting by IAAF