The 1500m world record holder will aim to improve his record in Italy on Friday, while Tebogo will beat Kerley in the men’s 100m.
Faith Kipyegon is due to compete in the 1500m at 13th Diamond League of the season on Friday (August 30), marking his return to the meet where he first set the world record in the event.
However, this year the meeting returns to its traditional venue, Rome, after last year’s event in Florence, where Kipyegon broke the world record.
The Kenyan middle distance star recently won his third consecutive 1500m title in Paris with a time of 3:51.29, just two seconds off his world record of 3:49.04 set earlier this year at the Diamond League in Paris.
Australian Olympic silver medalist Jess Hull will also join the line-up, while Olympic 10,000m silver medalist Nadia Battocletti will test herself over the shorter distance in front of a home crowd.
Great Britain’s Reeve Walcott-Nolan is also set to compete in an Olympic semi-final of 3:58.08, where he broke the four-minute barrier for the first time.
Fred Curley will be back on the circuit after winning the men’s 100m in Silesia on Sunday (August 25). Following the last-minute withdrawal of Olympic silver medalist Kishan Thompson, who also pulled out in Silesia, Curley’s main man to beat will be Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo.
Letsile Tebogo – The best of Letsile Tebogo
Tebogo is fresh off a 200m win in Lausanne where Curley finished third. Both athletes will be competing over a shorter distance this time, although Tebogo is known to favor the 200m after finishing sixth in the Olympic 100m final.
Tebogo says: “I haven’t set a target on time (in Rome) because the Olympics are over and I’m still celebrating my gold medal, but I’ll give it my best shot. With Fred (Curley) there, I think it’s going to be a fast time.
“Noah (Lyles) changed the sport. I didn’t change anything, I just went in and won the gold medal, but he has been very consistent over the years. I think, after being consistent, I would also say that I can become the face of athletics.”
The match will also feature African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala and Marcel Jacobs, who will return to the stadium where he won European gold.
The men’s 5,000m will see some of the frontrunners in the Olympic finals line up. World number one Hagos Gebrhivet of Ethiopia and Kenyan Olympic silver medalist Ronald Kwemoi will compete alongside Dominic Lobalu, Mo Ahmed and Yomif Kejelcha.
Daryl Nathan and the cottage side (Getty)
Meanwhile, Daryl Neath is among the British stars as she joins training partner Amy Hunt in the women’s 200m. The pair will face European champion Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland and Olympic bronze medalist Brittany Brown of the USA.
Charlie Dobson will compete in the men’s 400m and Lina Nielsen will compete in the women’s 400m hurdles.
In the field events, USA’s Ryan Kruser will attempt to break the five-year-old meet record of 21.97m with a PB of 23.56m. However, he faces a strong challenge from American Joe Kovacs, who recently beat Kruser to win in Silesia.
Leonardo Fabbri, who was fifth in Paris, will look to impress in front of his home fans, while Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell also joins the line-up.
Ryan Kruser (Getty)
Kruser’s focus will not be limited to the shot put, as he will also be keeping an eye on the discus as he coaches Jamaica’s Roger Stona, who won gold in Paris with an Olympic record 70.0m. However, world record holder Lithuanian Mikolas Alekna will be his biggest competition.
“For the last half of my career, Roger’s coaching has engaged me and brought me a new level of excitement,” said Stona coach Kruser.
“The shot and discus are different in terms of technique, but a lot of the training and preparation is very similar, like the mental aspect of stepping on the track and knowing you’ve prepared to the best of your ability. Explaining this to him strengthened my confidence in myself.
“I will say that coaching is a lot more stressful than being an athlete. It’s much easier for me to go on the Olympic stage and compete than to train someone else and be in the stands.”
Tara Davis-Woodhall (Getty)
American gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhull enters the women’s long jump as the favourite, facing stiff competition from Germany’s Malaika Mihambo and American Jasmine Moore, who both secured the podium in Paris.
Reflecting on her life a few years ago, Davis-Woodhull says: “Back in 2020 and 2021, I didn’t like what I was doing in my life, I had some bad habits, and I gave myself an ultimatum. this life is one chance and you either take it or you don’t.
“I decided to put on the shoes and start walking, and from then on I changed my outlook on life. I feel like I’m here for a reason, and whatever it is, I’m going to show my smile and show the joy of life.”
After winning in Silesia, European champion Gianmarco Tamberi will be back home in the men’s high jump. He will face 2022 world indoor champion Woo Sanghyuk and Italy’s Stefano Sottile.
The match will be broadcast live to UK viewers on Friday 30 August at 8pm on the BBC.
Schedule and results here
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