OREGON22: Kipyegon has a bone to pick with Sifan, scramble for men steeplechase begin

Two-time Olympic champion in women 1500m Faith Kipyegon heads to Oregon with a vengeance as she looks to dethrone nemesis Sifan Hassan who denied her the World Athletics championship title in 2019.

Kipyegon has been unbeatable in the distance since then, but for her loss at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Florence last year after a thrilling home-straight duel with Hassan.

OREGON22: Gathimba in focus as Kenya chase Walking medals on opening day

At the Diamond League meeting in Eugene in late May, Kipyegon took on many of her rivals and prevailed; exploding off the final turn to clock 3:52.59 on ahead of Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay who managed 3:54.21.

Kipyegon is definitely the athlete to beat in the distance, despite Hassan having laid low this season, running her first race of the season on Friday 8 July, clocking a modest 15:13.41 for 5000m in Portland, USA.

The Kenyan begins her title campaign in heat two where she goes up against three other sub-4-minute runners this season led by Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu. 27-year old home runner Elle St.Pierre and Jessica Hull are the other two.

Kenya has four representatives in the women’s 1500m as Kipyegon headed to Oregon on a wild-card, being the reigning Diamond League champion.

The other three include Judith Kiyeng who will be first on the track as she looks to be in the top six finishers in the heat for an automatic slot into the semis. African champion Winny Chebet and 2017 World Under-18 bronze medalist Edinah Jebitok line up in heat three.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s campaign to defend the world title and in the process reclaim the steeplechase crown begins at 3:15 am as the quartet of holder Conseslus Kipruto, Abraham Kibiwott, Benjamin Kigen and Leonard Bett line up for the heats.

Historically, this is a title the Kenyans have defended as if their lives depend on it. Since 1991, and the first of Moses Kiptanui’s three world titles, Kenya has won 13 of the 15 men’s steeplechase gold medals, the two exceptions being 2003 and 2005, when Saif Saaeed Shaheen (Stephen Cherono), a Kenyan-born athlete running for Qatar claimed gold.

Kipruto has had a tough two years and is yet to match the form of Olympics champion Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali or Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, who will be looking to win the title he missed out on in 2019. However, in a championship anything could happen.

In 2019, the defending champion went to the Doha World Championships with a season’s best of just 8:13.75 as he returned from a stress fracture in his ankle, but in the final he clocked 8:01.35 to deny Girma gold in a photo finish.

This year he has a best of 8:08.76, which placed him fourth in Rome last month, nine seconds behind Girma, before he coasted to third place at the Kenyan trials, choosing not to race for the win.

The 2018 World Under-20 Championships silver medalist Bett and 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medalist Kibiwott will line up in heat one that also has the Olympic champion. Kipruto will compete with Girma in the second heat while Olympic bronze medalist Kigen will be in third heat.

OREGON22: Ray of hope for Omanyala

Meanwhile, Ferdinand Omanyala who is expected to arrive in Oregon two hours and 40 minutes before the preliminary 100m commences will be in action in the heats-proper at 4.50am (EAT).