Chepng’etich, Chebet head to Doha for season-opener
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon celebrates after victory in the women's 1500m final during the Diamond League athletics meeting at Stadion Letzigrund stadium in Zurich on September 8, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Former world champion Julius Yego, who has a personal best of 92.72 metres, will also compete in the javelin.
Fireworks are expected in the opening leg of the Diamond League Series on Friday in Doha, where some of the best athletes in the world will compete.
As with most Kenyan participants, a number of athletes from the rest of the world will start the season on Friday, with the final goal of competing in the 2023 World Athletics Championships scheduled for August 19 to 27 in Budapest, Hungary.
Two-time 1,500m Olympics champion Faith Chepng’etich of Kenya will start her season in the one-day event.
Chepng’etich, who has a personal best time of 3min,50.37sec, told Nation Sport that her her ultimate goal is to hit top form at the right time to compete in Budapest.
“I’m glad that the Diamond League Series will be starting. They help athletes sharpen their skills because you get to know how you compete ahead of the World Athletics Championships. I look forward to a good race on Friday,” Chepng’etich said.
Chepng’etich ran a national record of 3:50.37 in Monaco leg of the Diamond League Series last year and narrowly missed the world record of 3:50.07 currently held by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba.
She will be joined in Doha on Friday by African Games champion Winny Chebet (3:58.20), Ethiopians Freweyni Hailu (3:56.28), Lemlem Hailu (4:00.32), Birke Haylom (4:02.25} and Diribe Welteji (3:56.91), among others.
Noah Kibet who has a personal best of 1:44.88 over 800m, and the two-time Commonwealth Games 800m champion Wycliffe Kinyamal (1:43.12) will fly the Kenyan flag in the two-lap race against Algeria’s Slimane Moula (1:44.17), USA’s Clayton Murphy (1:42.93), Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati (1:43.69), among others.
Former 1,500m world champion Timothy Cheruiyot will compete in men’s 3,000m alongside his compatriots Ishmael Kipkurui and Kyumbe Munguti.
In women’s 3,000m steeplechase race, world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (8:44.32) will come up against her compatriots, the Commonwealth Games champion Jackline Chepkoech (9:02.43), Doris Cherop (9:35.85), world Under-20 3,000 steeplechase champion Faith Cherotich (9:06.14) and Kenyan-born Bahraini Winfred Yavi (8:56.55). Olympics champion Peruth Chemutai of Uganda (9:01.45) and American Emma Coburn (9:02.35) will also compete.
Former world champion Julius Yego, who has a personal best of 92.72 metres, will also compete in the javelin.
