Diamond League: Wanyonyi, Moraa eye 800m glory as Chebet goes for 5000m title defense

Five Kenyans are in action on the final day of the Wanda Diamond League (DL) as curtains fall on the 2023 season.

It is a renewal of rivalry for Mary Moraa who goes up against Keely Hodgkinson and Athing Mu in the women’s 800m, with Emmanuel Wanyonyi facing a similar hurdle when he goes up against Marco Arop in the men’s 800m.

In the women’s 5000m, world bronze medalist and defending champion Beatrice Chebet is up against Gudaf Tsegay while Lilian Kasait, fresh from winning in Brussels, adds to the field as the women go for glory.

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Newly crowned world champion, Moraa, who triumphed in Budapest to deliver Kenya’s first world title in the women’s race since 2013 when Eunice Sum won in Moscow.

Moraa is looking to defend her DL trophy with odds favoring her, as she has won all three of her DL races in the distance, clinching victories in Rabat, Lausanne, and Poland.

The 23-year-old renews his rivalry with Olympics champion Mu who finished third in Budapest, and silver medalist Hodgkinson, of Britain. Series leader Natoya Goule of Jamaica adds to the depth of the field.

Meanwhile, former world U20 champion and reigning world silver medalist Wanyonyi, goes up against world champion Arop for the sixth time this season. The Kenyan has won three of five, with one of the losses coming in Budapest.

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The teenage sensation made up for his Budapest shortcomings with a win at the Xiamen Diamond League earlier this month, setting the stage for a spectacular rematch in today’s final.

Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati comes to the race having clocked 1:43.60 to win the Brussels race, the penultimate leg of the series.

Commonwealth Games champion Wycliffe Kinyamal who has blown hot and cold this season but still managed to finish top of the standings with 32 points from six events, having won in Monaco and placed second in Doha and Rabat, adds to the field.

Meanwhile, Chebet faces off with 10,000m world champion Tsegay and bronze medalist, Ejgayehu Taye with Kasait, Hailu Lemlem and Hailu Freweyni adding to the depth. Chebet won last season’s final and has been impressive in this year’s series, winning in Oslo, Stockholm, and Xiamen and finishing second in London.

800 m Men (22:04 pm)

Emmanuel Wanyonyi

Wycliffe Kinyamal

5000 m Women (22:39 pm)

Lilian Kasait

Beatrice Chebet

800m Women (00:19 am)

Mary Moraa