Olympic gold medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi, bronze medallist Mary Moraa, and Timothy Cheruiyot will compete on Thursday, August 22, 2024, during the Diamond League series in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Cheruiyot, returning from a disappointing Olympic performance in Paris, will face his familiar rivals: Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen and the USA’s Cole Hocker. Ingebrigtsen, who missed out on a medal in the 1500m in Paris but later won the 5000m title, is determined to reclaim his top position. Hocker, making a rare appearance in the Diamond League, will be under significant pressure. The absence of Josh Kerr of Great Britain could work in Cheruiyot’s favor.
Ingebrigtsen, 23, is eager to bounce back after finishing fourth in the 1500m at the Olympics. He previously set a European record of 3:26.73 in Monaco, just 0.73 seconds short of the world record held by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj since 1998, according to World Athletics.
Wanyonyi, who made history in his Olympic debut with a winning time of 1:41.19, will compete in a non-scoring 800m race. His time ranks him third on the world all-time list. In Lausanne, he will face four of the five men who followed him in Paris: silver medallist and world champion Marco Arop of Canada (1:41.20), Bryce Hoppel (1:41.67), Mohamed Attaoui of Spain, and Gabriel Tual of France.
Moraa will compete in the women’s 800m against Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Georgia Bell, fellow Briton Jemma Reekie (world indoor silver medallist), and Uganda’s 2019 world champion Halimah Nakaayi.
