Kipyegon, Omanyala eye more records in Monaco
Faith Kipyegon crosses the finish line to win the women's 5000m final during the Kenyan trials for the World Championships on July 7, 2023 at Nyayo National Stadium.
What you need to know:
Kipyegon, fresh from setting new world records in 1,500m and 5,000m, could add a third one to her collection when she competes in One Mile race, her first outing over the distance this year.
- Kipyegon broke the 1,500m world record in Florence in a new time of three minutes and 49.11 seconds on June 2 before dismantling the 5,000m world record on June 9 in Paris Diamond League, France with a new time of 14:05.20.
Double world record holder Faith Kipyegon, Africa's fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala and 400 metres national record holder Mary Moraa, will be on different missions at the Monaco Diamond League on Friday.
Kipyegon, fresh from setting new world records in 1,500m and 5,000m, could add a third one to her collection when she competes in One Mile race, her first outing over the distance this year.
Kipyegon broke the 1,500m world record in Florence in a new time of three minutes and 49.11 seconds on June 2 before dismantling the 5,000m world record on June 9 in Paris Diamond League, France with a new time of 14:05.20.
The 2017 and 2022 world 1,500m champion hopes to continue her hot streak, as she faces world 1,500m bronze medallist Laura Muir from Great Britain, Australia Jessica Hull, world indoor silver medallist Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia among others.
Kipyegon, who has a personal best of 4:16.71 from 2015 Brussels, will be eying Dutch Sifan Hassan’s record of 4:12.33 set at the same meeting also known as the Herculis meet on July 12, 2019.
It will be a showdown of Africa’s finest when Omanyala, the Commonwealth Games and African 100m champion, takes on South Africa's Akani Simbina and Letsile Tebogo from Botswana.
With Americans - world 100m champion Fred Kerley and world 200m champion Noah Lyles out - history beckons for Omanyala, who is yet to win at the Diamond League.
No Kenyan has ever won a 100m race in the Diamond League. The late Nicholas Bett is the first Kenyan sprinter to win a Diamond League race with victory in 400m hurdles in 2016 Paris.
Omanyala, who is the fastest in the field both in person best (9.77 seconds) and season’s best (9.84), has been to three Diamond League races - Rabat (Morocco), Florence (Italy) and Paris (France) where he has met Simbine and Tebogo twice.
Kerley (9.94 seconds) beat the African pair of Simbine (9.99) and Omanyala (10.05) to second and third places respectively at Rabat Diamond League on May 28.
Kerley would against relegate Omanyala to second place in Florence on June 2 in Italy with the pair running similar times from Rabat, 9.94 and 10.05 respectively. Simbine finished fourth in 10.09.
Lyles beat Omanyala on the line to win the men’s 100m in Paris on June 9, clocking 9.97 against the Kenyan's 9.98. Tebogo clocked season’s best 10.05 for third.
Simbine, who is still smoking hot from stunning Kerley to win the Silesia Diamond League in 9.97 on Sunday in Poland, will be eager to confirm his win. The world champion wound second in 9.98.
“I feel something good is going to happen here in Monaco,” said Omanyala. “My African record is at stake here and I am going to break it again if the weather permits.”
Omanyala broke Simbine’s African record with a new time of 9.77 when finishing second behind Trayvon Bromel from the USA, who clocked 9.76 to win at the 2021 Kip Keino Classic.
Moraa, the Commonwealth Games 800m champion, hopes to improve her personal best and national record of 50.38, when she takes on Olympic and world 400m hurdles champion, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the women’s one-lap race.
“It will be a tough race but I want to come through with my career best,” said Moraa, who won the women’s 400m in a national record time of 50.38 at the national trials for World Athletics Championships on July 7 at the Nyayo National Stadium.
World 5,000m silver medallist Jacob Krop and the 2022 Diamond League 5,000m trophy winner Nicholas Kimeli have lined up in the men's 5,000m race that also has Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the Commonwealth Games 5,000m and 10,000m champion among others.
Former Olympic and world champion Conseslus Kipruto, Commonwealth Games champion Abraham Kibiwott and the 2021 world under-20 champion Amos Serem will compete in men’s 3,000m steeplechase. The race will be without Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali from Morocco.
Rabat and Paris Diamond League winner Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Commonwealth Games champion Wycliffe Kinyamal go head-on in the men's 800m.
It is left to be known whether the Olympic and world champion Emmanuel Korir, who missed the Kenyan trials for the world event due to an injury, will compete. Korir, who is in the startlist, had sought treatment at his base in the USA.
