Xiamen DL: Revenge mission for Wanyonyi against Arop, as Kibiwott seeks win over El Bakalli

The 12th leg of the 2023 Diamond League series will see 11 Kenyans take to the brand new, state-of-the-art Xiamen Egret Stadium that will on Saturday afternoon host the inaugural edition of the athletics’ premier one-day meeting series, replacing Shenzhen until 2032.

Being held just nearly a week removed from the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, the event will host a total of 19 medalists from the latter, among them 8 gold medalists, 3 silver medalists, and 8 bronze medalists.

800m men.

The day’s highlight will be in the two-laps distance when a repeat of last Saturday’s final in Budapest will ensue between Canadian and eventual gold medalist Marco Arop and former World U20 champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi.

Arop, to his credit at the National Athletics Centre last week, produced one of his finest performances to outshine the Kenyan - who came in second (1:44.53) bagging silver - as he bought his time before surging ahead in the last 200m to take his first worlds victory in a time of 1:44.24.

The day’s bronze medalist - Ben Pattison of Great Britain - will also stake his claim, as will Wycliffe Kinyamal, who despite missing out on Kenya’s 800m trio at Budapest, timed a world lead time of 1:43.22 in this year’s Monaco Diamond League.

The race starts at 1444 EAT.

3000m men steeplechase.

The same theme - that of revenge - will continue in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, as the new inevitable man over the distance - Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali - who won gold in Budapest clocking 8:03.53, will once again meet the third placed finisher then, in Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwott.

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After enduring a fall in the last lap, Kibiwott, the Commonwealth Games champion, came in behind Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma in 8:11.90, and will today be flanked by Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Amos Serem and Olympic Games bronze medalist Benjamin Kigen.

The race starts at 1507.

3000m women.

Commonwealth Games champion over 5000m Beatrice Chebet will headline a trio of her Kenyan compatriots in Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Selah Busienei, African champion Caroline Nyaga and Seiko Golden Grand Prix third place finisher Margaret Akidor.

Just before winning bronze in the women’s 5000m final in Budapest, Chebet competed in her third Diamond League race this season, finishing second to Gudaf Tsegay in the London Diamond League 5000m race timing 14:12.92.

The race begins at 1416 EAT.

Women’s 1500m.

Kenya’s duo of Nelly Chepchirchir and Purity Chepkirui will fly Kenya’s flag in a fairly modest 1500m race in Xiamen.

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Chepkirui, with a personal best time of 4:04.5, will hope to improve from her debut in the senior World Championships - where she crashed out in Heat 4 in Budapest - as will her mate Chepchirchir, who came in fifth in the World Championships 1500m final last week, and in a time of 3:57.90.

The race begins at 1537 EAT.