<h2>Women's 1500m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;disciplineCode=1500&amp;sexCode=W&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391&amp;countryCode=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/women/1500-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/1500m/women?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/1500-metres/outdoor/women/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/1500-metres/outdoor/women/senior?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/1500-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
The outcome of the women&rsquo;s 1500m may be most influenced by whether world champion Sifan Hassan decides to do the event or not.
At the time of writing, Hassan was still considering which combination of the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m she would take on in Tokyo.
Having become the first person to combine the 1500m and 10,000m successfully at the World Championships in Doha in 2019, Hassan has made it clear that she is seeking a fresh challenge in Tokyo.
At first, that appeared to be the 5000m-10,000m double but that combination has been done before and after defeating Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon over 1500m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Florence in June, the Ethiopian-born Dutchwoman began to consider taking on an unprecedented distance treble.
For an athlete who has yet to win an Olympic medal, that would be an extraordinarily brave choice, particularly given that the 1500m and 5000m schedules cross over. The 1500m heats will be held on the morning of August 2, with the 5000m final that evening.
But Hassan does seem willing to take on this monumental challenge. The 1500m remains close to her heart as the event in which she made her name internationally but it will not offer her an easy ride. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/b832775b-915f-4b2b-a6eb-3556e7527749.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 The resurgent Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon will be a much tougher opponent than she was in Doha, which was just a year after she gave birth to her first child.
On that occasion Kipyegon (3:54.22) finished a well-beaten second to Hassan (3:51.95) but with almost two more years of training behind her, the determined Kenyan finally turned the tables at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco earlier this month, when she produced a brilliant performance to win in 3:51.07, the fourth fastest time in history.
This underlines the danger for Hassan: that she will be picked off by specialists on fresh legs in each of her three events if she embarks on the high-risk strategy of tripling.
The 27-year-old Kipyegon has an exceptional championship record, having won or finished second in every major 1500m championship final she has contested since 2014, and has demonstrated that she is in career-best form.
Such is the pool of talent in this event that she is not the only one in that situation. Britain&rsquo;s ever-reliable Laura Muir has been on the cusp of a global championship breakthrough in this event for some years and is near her best with a 3:55.59 clocking this year that makes her the third-ranked contender.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s world indoor record-holder Gudaf Tsegay has elected to focus on the 5000m, leaving Freweyni Gebreezibeher Hailu as her country&rsquo;s top contender (3:56.28 for third place in Monaco) in this event. Her sister Lemlem Hailu and world U20 800m champion Diribe Welteji, who set an Ethiopian U20 record of 3:58.93 in Hengelo, make up the rest of the Ethiopian team.
Two other Tokyo-bound women have broken four minutes this year &ndash; US champion Elle Purrier St Pierre (3:58.03) and Australian Linden Hall (3:59.67). Both will come into medal contention if the Olympic final develops into a typical &lsquo;sit-and-kick&rsquo; championship race, which is more likely if Hassan opts out as she tends to run aggressively to bring her superior endurance into play.
The complexion of the event will change immediately based on her decision.
Nicole Jeffery for World Athletics
&nbsp;
<h2>Men's 1500m</h2>
<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/athletes?competitionGroup=olympic-games&amp;disciplineCode=1500&amp;sexCode=M&amp;urlSlug=the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391&amp;countryCode=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entries</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/the-xxxii-olympic-games-athletics-7132391/timetable/bydiscipline/men/1500-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">timetable</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/world-rankings/1500m/men?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;rankDate=2021-07-13&amp;limitByCountry=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world rankings</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/toplists/middle-long/1500-metres/outdoor/men/senior/2021?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 world list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/1500-metres/outdoor/men/senior?regionType=world&amp;page=1&amp;bestResultsOnly=true&amp;firstDay=1900-01-01&amp;lastDay=2021-07-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world all-time list</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/disciplines/middlelong/1500-metres" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how it works</a>
In recent years, there's been no stopping 1500m sensation Timothy Cheruiyot who'll start as the man to beat when competition gets underway on Thursday 3 August.
The 25-year-old Kenyan was unbeaten over the distance in 10 races over two years, a streak that included the Diamond League final and World Championships in 2019. An off day at the Kenyan Trials last month put an end to that win streak, but he bounced back quickly, logging convincing victories at the Oslo and Monaco stops on the Wanda Diamond League. At the latter he produced a sensational 3:28.28 lifetime best to pad his hold on the No.7 spot on the all-time list &ndash; and, more importantly, to illustrate to Kenyan team selectors that he did indeed deserve a spot on the Tokyo-bound squad.
His penchant for running fast from the front has electrified the event and could turn this year's final into an all-time classic &ndash; a fast, furious and feverish battle forcing the field to leave absolutely everything on the track.
For the fourth time in the past five years, Monaco's Herculis produced the year's fastest race. Cheruiyot was first across the line each time, and often had some fast company.
This year that included Jakob Ingebrigtsen, one of the sport's most precocious talents in recent memory. The Norwegian star has been one of the finest 1500m runners on the planet since 2018, making it easy to forget that he's just 20 years old. He won the 1500m/5000m double at the 2018 European Championships at just 17 and last year, before his 20th birthday, broke the European record in the event, clocking 3:28.68 to become the eighth-fastest man of all time. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/77a077f4-14c9-40e7-9350-e6a9f5689b31.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 Ingebrigtsen was nearly as fast in Monaco earlier this month, clocking 3:29.25 to finish third &ndash; despite missing the previous two weeks of training due to a bacterial infection in his throat.
&ldquo;I didn't know what to expect but I managed to run fast for the entire race,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So as long as I can train well the next couple of weeks I know I'll be even better in Tokyo.&rdquo;
His goal?
"To win of course.&rdquo;
The only thing that may work against him is the fact he&rsquo;ll have potentially two rounds of the 5000m to contend with in and around the three rounds of the 1500m.
Another runner capable of having an impact in the "fast and furious" narrative is Stewart McSweyn, the 26-year-old Australian who lowered the Oceania record with his 3:29:51 run in Monaco. He's raced well all season, winning the mile at the Bislett Games in Oslo with 3:48.37, also an area record, and finishing second at the Doha Diamond League.
Others to consider in the medal hunt include Samuel Tefera, the world indoor champion, who leads the Ethiopian squad. The 21-year-old will arrive in Tokyo in the shape of his life after a 3:30.71 lifetime best in Monaco. He'll be joined by trials winner Teddese Lemi, who has improved to 3:31.90 this season.
Cheruiyot will be joined by Charles Simotwo, the Kenyan Trials winner who lowered his career best to 3:30.30 in Monaco to give Kenya a solid 1-2 punch.
Don't rule out Pole Marcin Lewandowski, who manages to snatch medals at most major championships, most recently at the 2019 World Championships where he fought his way to bronze. The 34-year-old doesn't have an Olympic medal to his credit, but a 3:30.42 national record, also in Monaco, suggests he's in form to finally collect one.
Meanwhile, Josh Kerr, a 2019 World Championships finalist, is the fastest Briton this year with 3:31.55. He'll team with Jake Wightman, who joined the sub-3:30 club in Monaco last year, clocking 3:29.47.
Matthew Centrowitz, who famously controlled the tactical 2016 Olympic final almost from the gun, will be back to defend his title, but history won't be on his side. Only one man has ever managed a successful Olympic title defence over the distance: Sebastian Coe in 1980 and 1984. If the pace is fast, speed won't be on his side either &ndash; Centrowitz hasn't dipped under 3:32 since 2018. But that wasn&rsquo;t an issue in Rio.
USA&rsquo;s best hope could lie with the fast-finishing and Cole Hocker, who won the NCAA indoor mile and 3000m double on the same day back in March, then won the outdoor NCAA 1500m title just a few days after his 20th birthday and then claimed victory at the US Trials. The versatile runner has a PB of just 3:35.28, but if the race becomes a sit-and-kick affair &ndash; which, given Cheruiyot&rsquo;s presence, may not be the case &ndash; Hocker&rsquo;s chances will improve.
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics

Tokyo Olympics preview: 1500m

In the lead-up to World Refugee Day on 20 June, members of the Refugee Olympic Team will be sharing their stories in a series of features as they prepare for the Games in Tokyo. The series begins with 1500m runner Anjelina Nadai Lohalith.
 Last Tuesday&rsquo;s confirmation that Anjelina Nadai Lohalith had been picked for the Refugee Olympic Team for a second successive Games was cause for celebration &ndash; and the 28-year-old 1500m runner duly marked the occasion at her Ngong training camp in Kenya, with much &ldquo;music and dancing&rdquo;.
But any day now an even more significant moment awaits as she prepares to reunite with the family she left behind when, aged nine, she escaped from her war-ravaged village in South Sudan and made her way to the vast Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya &ndash; where her father and mother have recently arrived themselves.
It will be the first time she has seen her parents since the day she and her aunt boarded a United Nations truck that had been bringing food into an area traumatically affected by a civil war that eventually ended in 2005, three years after she had reached her new home.
Recalling in a Zoom call from her training centre how the war had come to her village, Lohalith said: &ldquo;Soldiers came in the night. I didn&rsquo;t understand what was happening, I just heard the shooting.
&ldquo;We ran to the next village and we slept in the bush at nights. We wanted to go back to our village to get food and all the things we had left behind. It was really an emergency, and we had almost nothing with us.
&ldquo;But we were told we could not go back because the soldiers were occupying our village and around the village there were what they called &lsquo;weapons underground&rsquo;, which were landmines. It was not safe.
&ldquo;The UN bus came with food, and that was how I was able to get out with my aunt. I thought my family would be coming after me. But they didn&rsquo;t come.&rdquo;
<h3>Lohalith&rsquo;s "dearest wish"</h3>
Lohalith has maintained since making the Refugee Olympic Team for the Rio 2016 Games as one of five track athletes that her &ldquo;dream&rdquo; was to one day help her parents.
Asked how she felt about the prospect of meeting them after so long, she paused for a few moments before saying: &ldquo;It is my dearest wish.&rdquo;
She added: &ldquo;It makes me so happy that my parents are now in the camp. Soon we will have a welcome party!&rdquo;
Already, however, her mother and father have met their grandson for the first time &ndash; Lohalith&rsquo;s four-year-old son Jayden Luis Monutore.
Her parents were preceded to Kakuma by other relatives, including another of her aunts and a cousin, and they have helped to look after Jayden &ndash; already a natural runner according to his proud mum &ndash; while she has been training to make the Rio 2016 team.
&ldquo;My parents don&rsquo;t know about my running,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;They only know about my schooling. I think it will be hard for them to understand about the Olympics. They don&rsquo;t know anything about it.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/5b2e8bd8-c22a-4c21-b226-5ea2c64c2577.jpg" width="525" height="349" /> Anjelina Nadai Lohalith trains at the Refugee Athletes Centre in Ngong&nbsp;(&copy;&nbsp;AFP / Getty Images)
 Lohalith has spoken in the past of how Tegla Loroupe, Kenya&rsquo;s former world marathon record-holder and three-time world half marathon winner, came to the Kakuma Camp as part of the work of her Peace Foundation and organised trial races in 2015 to identify those who might be able to run at the Olympics.
At that time Lohalith knew nothing of international athletics but she had been, like her son, a natural runner for as long as she could remember.
&ldquo;Wherever I went I would run,&rdquo; she recalled. &ldquo;When I went to fetch something for my mother I always ran, because I didn&rsquo;t want to be beaten by her!
&ldquo;I just loved running for no reason, but I did not know anything about racing until Tegla came to the camp. I didn&rsquo;t know who she was &ndash; I only found out about her medals and her world record later.&rdquo;
In Rio, Lohalith ran 4:47.38 in her opening 1500m heat. Two years later she reduced that time to 4:33.54 at the World Athletics Championships in London.
She wanted to continue her international career by appearing at the Doha 2019 World Championships. &ldquo;I wanted to go to Doha but it was soon after maternity leave and I just didn&rsquo;t make it,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It was not my time to go. But now I AM going back to the Olympics!
&ldquo;I was not sure I would be in the team. I was nervous. I am so happy to be going to Tokyo.&rdquo;
<h3>Another chance</h3>
Part of the reason for her uncertainty was the difficulties the pandemic had thrown up to her training regime, which faltered as the Olympics were postponed by a year.
&ldquo;We were training very hard for the Olympics. In 2020 we were in very good shape, very confident. I felt I was in shape to reach the semifinals,&rdquo; she said.
&ldquo;Then it was very difficult, we had to go back to the camp and try to train there, but you could not train in big groups. And it was very hot &ndash; we used to train at five in the morning, but we missed the facilities of the training camp.
&ldquo;Tegla was very encouraging, she gave us schedules while we were back in the camp. She said: &lsquo;It will be difficult, but you have to try and stay with it. It will be hard, but you can do it.&rsquo;&rdquo;
In Lohalith&rsquo;s case, Loroupe was right.
&ldquo;I can say I feels so great,&rdquo; the soon-to-be double Olympian said. &ldquo;I am really honoured but it was not something I ever expected. I feel so happy to be given another chance, and I just want to improve on my best time.
&ldquo;People all over the world wish to get this chance, but that is something that not all of us can do. It&rsquo;s very hard. That is why they were using some kind of criteria to select athletes.
&ldquo;Before Rio in the camp we were told that maybe one person can be lucky to go. But from my team all six of us were lucky to be selected. Now the number is halved. There is a higher competition now and that is why they did so many trials.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/b7dbfdb9-0860-4644-940d-658077e77f21.jpg" width="525" height="349" /> Anjelina Nadai Lohalith in action at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games&nbsp;(&copy;&nbsp;AFP / Getty Images)
 Since arriving in Kenya, Lohalith has learned fluent English. Asked how she had managed to attain this language, she responded: &ldquo;I just read. I like reading novels &ndash; love novels, inspiring books. One of my favourite authors is Nelson Mandela.&rdquo;
Speaking recently, Rwanda&rsquo;s International Olympic Committee member Felicite Rwemarika described how she had been forced to flee her home when members of the Tutsi tribe were being massacred in 1959, and added that, during her subsequent travel in Uganda and Burundi, her family had been treated with suspicion and denied access to vital services, having to change their name at one point.
How had Lohalith&rsquo;s experience of being a refugee in a foreign land compared?
&ldquo;I have not been through that kind of an issue,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Not that much. We are in camp most of the time. We and Kenyans, most of the time we are the same with our facial appearance.
&ldquo;It only happens sometimes if you meet with some few people, but only with a few.
&ldquo;You cannot expect them to be 100 per cent about refugees in another country. Not everybody can see what you are going through. They can&rsquo;t understand it. Some will be negative. When you introduce yourself as a refugee, they get a look on their face. We just have to understand, we don&rsquo;t have any choice.
"We hope others see we are just normal people like them."
<h3>The power of sport</h3>
As well as visiting Rio and London to compete, Lohalith has also been to Uganda and to Canada, where she attended the One Young World Summit in Ottawa, a global forum for youth leaders to discuss global issues.
&ldquo;I enjoy travelling a lot,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It is part of my passion &ndash; travelling to see the world. When I was young, I always told myself that one day you will be travelling the world in an airplane. But I never had an idea on what I was going to do or how it could happen.
&ldquo;But now my dream has happened. It is sport that has helped me to travel.
&ldquo;Through running I was able to know more people, people who have been able to compete in international races. I feel so great when I make so many friends from other countries.
&ldquo;When I compete, I can meet people and make friends and we stay in contact. I am always happy and honoured for it, to be building that kind of a relationship with people.
&ldquo;People do not just go to compete, they make friends in different countries. It is something very great for me. That is a big reason why sport is so important &ndash; it can also bring people together.&rdquo;
For now, however, Lohalith is turning her eyes once more to the Olympic arena.
Asked when she would leave for Japan, she laughed suddenly and exclaimed: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care when I go! I am going!&rdquo;
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

Last Tuesday’s confirmation that Anjelina Nadai Lohalith had been picked for the Refugee Olympic Team for a second successive Games was cause for celebration – and the 28-year-old 1500m runner duly marked the occasion at her Ngong training camp in Kenya with much “music and dancing”.

Family and opportunity inspires Lohalith ahead of second Olympic appearance

It just so happens that the last piece of international track and field action at the International Stadium in Gateshead was a 1.98m clearance that secured a personal best and a victory in the final event to be decided at the 2013 European Team Championships for the emerging young high jumper Mariya Kuchina.
Eight years on from that breakthrough senior performance &ndash; which came indoors after thunder, lightning and flash flooding rendered the outdoor field section too dangerous &ndash; the global queen of the high jump, now three-time world outdoor champion Mariya Lasitskene, takes part in the first event on the programme of the 2021 Wanda Diamond League opener at Gateshead on Sunday (23).
An uncertain mixed picture of sunshine and showers is forecast for the Muller Grand Prix Gateshead but the famous arena in the north-east of England will be flooded with stellar talent, with a cast featuring 10 reigning world or Olympic champions and a combined cache of more than 100 global medals.
Top billing, undoubtedly, has to go to the not so much loaded as overflowing women&rsquo;s 100m. Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson, the trailblazing 21-year-old US sprint phenomenon who scorched to a 10.72 clocking in Florida in April, tests her rapidly rising pedigree against all three medal winners from the 2019 World Championships final in Doha. 
<div id="60986b51135c0c103803aa95" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/8701b456-d14d-4e1f-b107-0f6c6cd1c261.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Sha'Carri Richardson wins the 100m at the USATF Golden Games at Mt SAC</div>
&nbsp;
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the Jamaican Peter Pan Pocket Rocket of the women&rsquo;s sprint game, was within 0.01 of her lifetime best with a 10.71 clocking that secured her fourth world 100m title in the Qatari capital. Silver medal winning Briton Dina Asher-Smith, who went on to take 200m gold, and bronze medallist Ivorian Marie-Josee Ta Lou are also on the start list for the heats, although Jamaica&rsquo;s Olympic 100m and 200m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah has withdrawn because of injury.
Two weeks on from her heat and final sub-10.80 clockings in the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Walnut, and on the back of her winning European circuit debut over 200m in Ostrava on Wednesday, Richardson has the chance that was denied her in 2019 when she failed to qualify for the US team for Doha. Since her eighth-placed finish at the US Championships final in Des Moines, the world U20 record-holder has won 10 successive 100m races (heats and finals).
Fraser-Pryce, now 34, is on a winning streak of seven 100m races, dating back to the Diamond League final in Brussels which preceded the 2019 World Athletics Championships, when she finished runner-up to Asher-Smith. Both Fraser-Pryce and Asher-Smith have yet to race over 100m in 2021, but have posted 200m times of 22.60 and 22.56 respectively.
Something will have to give.
Richardson proclaimed after her 10.74 and 10.77 clockings on the Mt SAC track in Walnut: &ldquo;Every time I step on the track I want to make history.&rdquo; She might need to run the fastest women&rsquo;s 100m in Gateshead history to maintain her winning run. Weather permitting, the 10.93 stadium record could well be eclipsed.
For Richardson, a comfortable 200m winner in 22.35 in Ostrava, it will be a first Diamond League test outside the United States. In 2019 she finished fourth in the 100m at the Prefontaine Classic in Stanford, clocking 11.15 in a race won by Ta Lou in 11.02, with Fraser-Pryce a distant eighth in 11.39. She also placed third in a high school girls&rsquo; 200m that preceded the Diamond League programme in Eugene in 2017.
At 21, Mondo Duplantis already seems like a Diamond League veteran, with eight meet victories to his name. The Swede extended his unbeaten record to a 23rd competition with his 5.90m clearance in Ostrava, confessing to feeling rusty in his season&rsquo;s opener.
The 6.18m world record-holder will be seeking to return to six-metre-plus form in Gateshead, where he will again be up against Sam Kendricks, the US rival who inflicted his last defeat, in the 2019 world final. Bronze medal winning Pole Piotr Lisek completes a rematch of the podium trio from Doha.
Lasitskene is another star performer on a long-term winning streak. The 28-year-old is unbeaten in 14 competitions dating back to September 2019 and her third-placed finish in the Europe v USA match in Minsk. 
<div id="5b54a62648f3f20e2c92b115" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/96af040b-2369-42c5-883a-eb46bde29dde.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Mariya Lasitskene tops 2.04m in London</div>
&nbsp;
In her first outdoor test of 2021, however, she faces Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the 19-year-old Ukrainian who cleared a world U20 record of 2.04m in losing to her on countback in the epic 2019 world final. The fourth and fifth placers from Doha are also in the field: Mahuchikh&rsquo;s compatriot Yulia Levchenko and Kamila Licwinko of Poland.
European record-holder Jakob Ingebritsen faces the rising Australian duo Ollie Hoare and Stewart McSweyn in a 1500m race that also includes Adam Ali Musab, the Qatari who ran a world-leading 3:32.41 in Doha back in February.
Fresh from a 19.93 (-0.6m/s) victory in Ostrava, Kenny Bednarek lines up against four of the first six finishers from the world 200m final two years ago. Canada&rsquo;s Andre de Grasse (third in Ostrava) and Ecuador&rsquo;s Alex Quinonez picked up silver and bronze behind Bednarek&rsquo;s US rival Noah Lyles in Doha, while Briton Adam Gemili and Canada&rsquo;s Aaron Brown placed fourth and sixth.
The 3000m steeplechase features the three fastest men on the 2020 world list. Soufiane El Bakkali, the Moroccan who took bronze and silver in the last two world finals, Kenyan Leonard Bett and France&rsquo;s Djilali Bedrani will all be making their 2021 debuts over the barriers.
Nicholas Kimeli, one of the fastest men in the world last year over 5000m and 10,000m, will take on fellow Kenyans Jacob Krop and Michael Kibet in the 5000m. If the race is tactical, watch out too for in-form Spaniard Mohamed Katir. Australia&rsquo;s David McNeil, Spain&rsquo;s Adel Mechaal and Britain&rsquo;s Andy Butchart should also be in contention.
Four weeks on from her solo 4:01.54 victory at the USATF Grand Prix in Eugene, European champion Laura Muir returns to British soil for her second 1500m of the season. The world indoor silver medallist ended her US training and racing spell looking sharp, with a 1:58.71 victory over 800m at the Track Meet in Irvine last weekend. 
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<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/ac0bc51f-b94e-46d4-8341-59f1b2374df9.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Laura Muir takes another 1500m win in London</div>
&nbsp;
Fellow Briton Katie Snowden advanced her PB to 4:02.98 with a win in the 1500m in the same Californian event and will be seeking to back up that breakthrough win in a face that also features sub-four performers in 2014 world indoor silver medallist Axumawit Embaye of Ethiopia and Rababe Arafi of Morocco. Uganda&rsquo;s 800m specialist Winnie Nanyondo and, at the other end of the spectrum, Britain&rsquo;s European 5000m silver medallist Eilish McColgan are also in the field.
In the field, in addition to Lasitskene, there will be two other world champions seeking to crank their Olympic season into gear.
Tajay Gayle, the Jamaican long jumper who stunned the world with his 8.69m gold medal leap in Doha, already has a 8.27m mark to his name this year. Grenadine javelin man Anderson Peters will be looking to build on the 83.39m he threw for second place behind Johannes Vetter&rsquo;s monster 94.20m in Ostrava. 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott, third in the Czech Republic with 82.75m, is also in the field. 
<div id="60a77dd3135c0c152cff1725" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/e4e82d34-a916-4906-b500-77901b97fb99.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Tajay Gayle in action at the Diamond League meeting in London</div>
&nbsp;
Gayle&rsquo;s Jamaican teammate Kimberly Williams will be looking to reproduce her winning form from Mt SAC earlier this month where she won with 14.62m. But US record-holder Keturah Orji, who finished second on that occasion, will be out for revenge.
Danniel Thomas-Dodd, who took 2019 world silver, meets 2015 world champion Christina Schwanitz of Germany in the shot, while fellow Jamaicans Shericka Jackson and Stephenie Ann McPherson square up over 400m.
The 100m hurdles promises to be a domestic sisterly affair, with Cindy Sember lining up against Tiffany Porter, whose British record she missed by a mere 0.02 with a 12.53 clocking at Mt SAC.
Simon Turnbull for World Athletics

The Muller Grand Prix Gateshead will be flooded with stellar talent, with a cast featuring 10 reigning world or Olympic champions and a combined cache of more than 100 global medals.

World stars raring to go as Wanda Diamond League action returns to Gateshead

The first Wanda Diamond League meeting of 2021 is set to take place in Gateshead on 23 May.
To mark the seven-day countdown to the first fixture in the series, we take a brief look at seven mouth-watering clashes that have been announced for the first three meetings of this season.
&nbsp;
<h3>Women&rsquo;s 100m &ndash; Gateshead, 23 May</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/8701b456-d14d-4e1f-b107-0f6c6cd1c261.jpg?cachebuster=99a10845-d9b1-4c02-a491-bf1589544a9d" align="right" />Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) 10.70 Elaine Thompson-Herah (JAM) 10.70 Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson (USA) 10.72 Dina Asher-Smith (GBR) 10.83
This sensational four-way clash is set to see Jamaica's multiple global gold medallist Fraser-Pryce and double Olympic champion Thompson-Herah take on Britain's world 200m champion Asher-Smith and USA's world leader Richardson for the first time, with the four athletes having never previously lined up against each other.
Fraser-Pryce, Thompson-Herah and Richardson occupy three of the top six places on the world all-time list, so if conditions in Gateshead are good, the meeting record of 10.93 could be broken.
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<h3>Women&rsquo;s long jump &ndash; Florence, 10 June</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/1a189a41-e633-4831-bee8-1f80f90a6b90.jpg?cachebuster=3f9d279f-f8c6-4259-afa2-84b4f1933343" align="right" />Malaika Mihambo (GER) 7.30m Ivana Spanovic (SRB) 7.24m Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (UKR) 6.96m Caterine Ibarguen (COL) 6.93m Khaddi Sagnia (SWE) 6.92m Larissa Iapichino (ITA) 6.91m
The world outdoor and indoor champions take on a handful of major championship medallists in what looks set to be the highest-quality long jump competition since the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019.
Malaika Mihambo, who won in Doha two years ago, will line up in Florence alongside world indoor champion Ivana Spanovic, world silver medallist and European indoor champion Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk, 2018 Diamond League champion and Olympic triple jump champion Caterine Ibarguen, European indoor bronze medallist Khaddi Sagnia and rising Italian star Larissa Iapichino, who earlier this year set a world U20 indoor record of 6.91m.
&nbsp;
<h3>Women&rsquo;s 3000m &ndash; Doha, 28 May</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/60a0423c-0109-4c36-9d19-106c4c25d8d7.jpg?cachebuster=c50e5fef-9b7b-4f49-86f6-031d02e9957d" align="right" />Letesenbet Gidey (ETH) 8:20.27 Hellen Obiri (KEN) 8:20.68
World champion meets world record-holder in this highly anticipated Doha duel.
Hellen Obiri, the world 5000m and cross-country champion, set an African 3000m record of 8:20.68 in Doha in 2014, which was then broken in 2019 by Gidey, who ran 8:20.27.
Although Obiri leads their career head-to-head record at 9-5, world 5000m record-holder Gidey has finished ahead of Obiri twice in Doha: at the 2018 Diamond League meeting and at the 2019 World Championships over 10,000m.
&nbsp;
<h3>Men&rsquo;s pole vault &ndash; Gateshead, 23 May</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/17aa63cb-2f5c-42c8-b7c8-ef48457fb350.jpg?cachebuster=5150313e-adb5-4cce-9690-bc9ceefd8243" align="right" />Mondo Duplantis (SWE) 6.18m Sam Kendricks (USA) 6.06m Piotr Lisek (POL) 6.02m Harry Coppell (GBR) 5.85m Charlie Myers (GBR) 5.71m
The three medallists from the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 will be reunited in Gateshead on 23 May.
It will be Mondo Duplantis&rsquo;s first competition in the UK since setting a world record of 6.18m in Glasgow during the 2020 indoor season. Since finishing second at the 2019 World Championships &ndash; behind Sam Kendricks and ahead of Piotr Lisek &ndash; the 21-year-old Swede has been undefeated since then, and in 2020 he earned the honour of Male World Athlete of the Year.
&nbsp;
<h3>Women&rsquo;s pole vault &ndash; Doha, 28 May</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/1136e5cf-3a32-4ff2-a884-b1d417e1e3cc.png?cachebuster=9162c480-de15-4195-8188-b43190000429" align="right" />Sandi Morris (USA) 5.00m Anzhelika Sidorova (ANA) 4.95m Katerina Stefanidi (GRE) 4.91m Holly Bradshaw (GBR) 4.87m Alysha Newman (CAN) 4.82m Angelica Moser (SUI) 4.75m
As will be the case with the men&rsquo;s event in Gateshead, the women&rsquo;s 2019 world pole vault medallists &ndash; Anzhelika Sidorova, Sandi Morris and Katerine Stefanidi &ndash; will be reunited in Doha.
While Sidorova won at the World Championships in Doha, and Morris triumphed at the 2018 World Indoor Championships, Stefanidi has performed best on the Diamond League circuit in recent years, having won the Diamond Trophy four times between 2016 and 2019.
&nbsp;
<h3>Men&rsquo;s shot put &ndash; Florence, 10 June</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/ae2f27f6-4640-4a90-a35e-23a37d0ecf6d.jpg?cachebuster=ff554095-aeae-4b2a-a044-4d1b76bd4576" align="right" />Tom Walsh (NZL) 22.90m Michal Haratyk (POL) 22.32m Konrad Bukowiecki (POL) 22.25m Tomas Stanek (CZE) 22.17m Leonardo Fabbri (ITA) 21.99m
New Zealand&rsquo;s 2017 world champion and 2019 Diamond League winner Tom Walsh takes on the Czech Republic's European indoor champion Tomas Stanek, Poland&rsquo;s European champion Michal Haratyk, Konrad Bukowiecki, who set the Golden Gala meeting record of 21.97m in 2019, and Italian indoor record-holder Leonardo Fabbri.
Given the quality of the line-up, Bukowiecki&rsquo;s meeting record may not survive.
&nbsp;
<h3>Men&rsquo;s 1500m &ndash; Gateshead, 23 May</h3>
<img style="width: 220px; height: 220px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/971b6efc-8296-4021-92f4-ed650a240b19.jpg?cachebuster=c3f6fcfd-87e1-431a-8df5-759ea9271250" align="right" />Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 3:28.68 Stewart McSweyn (AUS) 3:30.51 Ryan Gregson (AUS) 3:31.06 Oliver Hoare (AUS) 3:32.35 Matthew Ramsden (AUS) 3:34.83 Piers Copeland (GBR) 3:35.32 George Mills (GBR) 3:36.72 Elliot Giles (GBR) 3:36.90i
A competitive field of leading Australians and Britons will take on Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen over 1500m in Gateshead.
Building on his incredible performances in recent years, the 20-year-old set a European 1500m record of 3:28.68 last year in Monaco before going on to win in Brussels and Ostrava. Australia&rsquo;s Stewart McSweyn, who finished close behind Ingebrigtsen in Stockholm, Ostrava and Rome last year, will be hoping to score his first victory over Ingebrigtsen in Gateshead, but compatriot Oliver Hoare and Britain&rsquo;s 800m specialist Elliot Giles, both of whom enjoyed superb indoor seasons, will also be big threats.
&nbsp;

The first Wanda Diamond League meeting of 2021 is set to take place in Gateshead on 23 May.

Seven Diamond League clashes to look forward to in 2021

Grenada&rsquo;s 2012 Olympic 400m champion Kirani James will continue his comeback at the Ostrava Golden Spike, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, on 19 May.
The 28-year-old has raced sparingly over the past few years but opened his season with a 44.88 400m win at the Canyon Invitational in Phoenix last month.
Now he prepares to return to the Ostrava event for the first time since 2013, when he won in 44.49, while the Czech city is also where he claimed World Youth Championships silver in 2007.
Among those lining up alongside him will be home favourite Pavel Maslak, the three-time world indoor champion.
Another top 400m runner in action will be the USA&rsquo;s world bronze medallist Fred Kerley, who has focused on the 100m and 200m so far this season, with respective times of 9.91 and 20.24. That will continue in Ostrava, as he is set to take on the double.
In the 200m he will be joined by his compatriot Kenny Bednarek, who recently finished second at the USATF Golden Games with 19.94.
<h3>Dibaba set for 1500m</h3>
Ethiopia&rsquo;s world record-holder Genzebe Dibaba is yet to race outdoors this season and will be targeting the 1500m meeting record of 3:59.05 set last year by Kenya&rsquo;s Faith Kipyegon when she takes to the Mestsky Stadion track.
Czech duo Diana Mezulianikova and Simona Vrzalova will be aiming for the Olympic standard.
Britain&rsquo;s world U20 indoor record-holder Keely Hodgkinson will race the 800m against sub-1:59 runners Lovisa Lindh, Hedda Hynne and Lore Hoffmann, while Bosnian world silver medalist Amel Tuka will contest the men&rsquo;s event against Hodgkinson&rsquo;s fellow British teenager Max Burgin plus Poland&rsquo;s Adam Kszczot, Patryk Dobek, Mateusz Borkowski and Michal Rozmys.
In the men&rsquo;s 1500m, current world-leader Adam Ali Musaab from Qatar will face Poland&rsquo;s Marcin Lewandowski and Czech trio Jakub Holusa, Filip Sasinek and Jan Fris.
Other athletes to have previously been confirmed for the meeting include world pole vault record-holder Mondo Duplantis, 2017 world javelin champion Johannes Vetter, world half marathon champion Jacob Kiplimo in the 10,000m and Joshua Cheptegei, who last year set world records over 5000m and 10,000m and this time will race over 3000m.
The Golden Spike was granted an exemption from the Czech Republic&rsquo;s ban on holding mass events, and the meeting is permitted to welcome 1500 fans into the stadium.
Organisers for World Athletics

Grenada’s 2012 Olympic 400m champion Kirani James will continue his comeback at the Ostrava Golden Spike, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, on 19 May.

James, Kerley and Dibaba added to Ostrava fields

Jakob Ingebrigtsen will be among the athletes looking to test their form when he races over 1500m at the Muller Grand Prix &ndash; the first Wanda Diamond League meeting of 2021 &ndash; in Gateshead, UK, on Sunday 23 May.
He will do so in front of a venue crowd, with the Gateshead International Stadium able to welcome up to 2000 spectators for the meeting.
Norwegian 20-year-old Ingebrigtsen won European indoor 1500m and 3000m titles in Torun in March, emulating the success he achieved in Glasgow two years earlier when he claimed 3000m gold and 1500m silver. He returned to the UK in the July to finish second in the London Diamond League 5000m, breaking the Norwegian record with 13:02.03.
The European 1500m record-holder with 3:28.68 set in Monaco last year, Ingebrigtsen is also the reigning European outdoor champion at 1500m and 5000m.
&ldquo;I had a great time racing in Glasgow at the European Indoor Championships a couple of years ago and I&rsquo;ve also run a few times at the Olympic Stadium in London. So I&rsquo;m hoping for another good experience in Britain at the Diamond League in Gateshead next week,&rdquo; he said.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been training hard lately but I enjoy testing myself in competition and this meeting will be a good race to see where I am in the run-up to the Olympics.&rdquo;
Joining him in Gateshead will be Britain&rsquo;s Elliot Giles, who ran 1:43.63 in February to move to second on the world indoor 800m all-time list, plus Australian 1500m record-holder Stewart McSweyn and his compatriots Ollie Hoare, Matthew Ramsden and Ryan Gregson.
Other British athletes on the entry list include national 1500m champion George Mills, Piers Copeland and Archie Davis.
As previously announced, the women&rsquo;s 100m in Gateshead will feature a world-class line-up including Dina Asher-Smith, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah and Sha&rsquo;Carri Richardson, while the men&rsquo;s pole vault sees a clash between Mondo Duplantis, Sam Kendricks and Piotr Lisek.
The women&rsquo;s 1500m will see European champion Laura Muir in action and she will be joined by fellow British athletes&nbsp;Melissa Courtney-Bryant, Eilish McColgan, Adelle Tracey and Holly Archer.
Organisers for World Athletics

Jakob Ingebrigtsen will be among the athletes looking to test their form when he makes his season debut over 1500m at the Muller Grand Prix – the first Wanda Diamond League meeting of 2021 – in Gateshead, UK, on Sunday 23 May.

Ingebrigtsen, McSweyn and Giles named for Gateshead 1500m

Global medallists Raevyn Rogers, Donavan Brazier and Christian Taylor are preparing for an early-season top-quality test of their form at the USATF Grand Prix &ndash; the first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold standard meeting of 2021 &ndash; on Saturday (24).
As well as offering the opportunity for some high-class clashes, the event also gives the US trio the chance to compete at Eugene&rsquo;s recently renovated Hayward Field, which will stage the US Olympic Trials in June and this weekend welcomes athletes for its first professional competition since 2018.
&ldquo;I am very nervous and excited to compete at the new Hayward,&rdquo; said Taylor, the four-time world and two-time Olympic triple jump champion. &ldquo;I had the previous stadium record and had lifelong memories made in front of the grandstands. This is a glorious new beginning but also has that special sense of the unknown.
&ldquo;This will be a very serious competition for us,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;to have an idea of exactly where we are and what areas we need to focus on moving forward.&rdquo;
While Taylor has fond memories, world 800m champion Brazier is looking to make up for the disappointment he felt when he last raced at the iconic venue five years ago.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really excited to race there,&rdquo; said the 24-year-old, who this time steps up to compete over 1500m. &ldquo;The last time I raced there I ran pretty bad, I think it was the Olympic Trials in 2016, so I&rsquo;d like to get the monkey off my back and finally start racing good again in Eugene.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to see where we&rsquo;re at this weekend and that&rsquo;s part of the reason why we&rsquo;re doing the 1500m instead of 800m.&rdquo;
<img src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/274d654b-e289-41b8-ab4f-af40498e1a8d.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="526" />
<div class="ArticleContent_articleImageCaption__1j7DT" data-name="article-image-caption">
Hayward Field at the University of Oregon&nbsp;(&copy; University of Oregon) 
</div>
<h3>Rogers &ndash; star of the track and tower</h3>
For Rogers, it's a sense of &lsquo;being home&rsquo;.
&ldquo;It is a huge weekend, especially to be running the 800m at Eugene,&rdquo; said the world 800m silver medallist, who won multiple NCAA titles while racing for the University of Oregon. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just looking forward to kicking it (her 800m season) off and seeing where all of this hard work in practise will lead to.&rdquo;
Rogers is one of five icons &ndash; along with legendary coach Bill Bowerman, Steve Prefontaine, Ashton Eaton and Otis Davis &ndash; pictured on the Tower at Hayward Field and on whether there will be any extra pressure to perform, the 24-year-old said: &ldquo;Just to be able to run the 800m at the ribbon-cutting meet, I did express (to her coach, Pete Julian) &lsquo;you want me to do my first 800m in Eugene at the new stadium?!&rsquo; Of course, I was factoring in some of that pressure, but he was very reassuring to understand that the focus is about June and of course later on, God willing, the Olympics.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s more to see where we are and get some races under our belt. That helped a lot to ease some of those outside thoughts in my head in regards to factoring in the pressure of running at the stadium.&rdquo;
As well as it being the &lsquo;ribbon-cutting&rsquo; professional competition at the reimagined Hayward Field &ndash; which will host next year&rsquo;s World Athletics Championships Oregon22 &ndash; the event also kicks off this year&rsquo;s Continental Tour Gold-standard series of meetings. The aim of the Tour is to offer a coherent global series of the best international one-day meetings outside of the Wanda Diamond League.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited about the fact that we are getting some World Athletics type of races in,&rdquo; said Rogers. &ldquo;I feel like we are still kind of holding on to the slowness of last year, with things not being open, but now people are feeling like vaccinations are a little bit more allowing of us getting outside and being able to do things. And so now that we are able to focus on getting some good competition and more races in, I think it will help get more of that type of competitive experience that we have when it comes to the Olympics, because this is really necessary.
"I feel like as we get into championship season, since it is in almost two months, it&rsquo;s super necessary and the time window to be able to get those type of races in is very short. So the fact that they are trying to implement this World Athletics Continental Tour will help get those Diamond League type of races and experiences in, instead of just having to have them straight at the Olympics.&rdquo;
Following the Continental Tour Gold season opener in Eugene, the series will move on to California, Tokyo, Ostrava and Boston in May before meetings in Hengelo, Turku, Bydgoszcz and Szekesfehervar ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics

Global medallists Raevyn Rogers, Donavan Brazier and Christian Taylor are preparing for an early-season top-quality test of their form at the USATF Grand Prix – the first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold standard meeting of 2021 – on Saturday (24).

Rogers, Brazier and Taylor ready for top-quality test in Eugene

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Gudaf Tsegay, Beatrice Chepkoech and Kibiwott Kandie will go into the Olympic season with recent world records to their names, after their respective marks over 1500m, 5km and the half-marathon were ratified this week.
Tsegay achieved her 1500m feat at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais on 9 February, clocking 3:53.09 to take more than two seconds off the previous world indoor record of 3:55.17 set by her Ethiopian compatriot Genzebe Dibaba in Karlsruhe on 1 February 2014.
World bronze medallist Tsegay followed the swift early tempo at the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting in Lievin, France, as the pacemaker led the field through 400m (58.97) and exited just before 800m, which Tsegay passed in 2:05.94.
With three laps to go, Tsegay had a four-second lead but she showed no signs of slowing down, passing through 1000m in 2:37.36. The clock read 2:52.9 with two laps to go and Tsegay maintained her pace with another lap just outside 30 seconds, digging in for the final circuit.
&ldquo;I have been training really hard and I set myself a target to break the world indoor record,&rdquo; said Tsegay. &ldquo;I had this record in my mind for a long time &ndash; maybe six or seven years.&rdquo;
<h3>Chepkoech&rsquo;s success on the road</h3>
For Kenya&rsquo;s Chepkoech, world 5km record success came at the Monaco Run on 14 February. Racing on Valentine&rsquo;s Day, the world 3000m steeplechase champion further demonstrated her passion for the sport by running 14:43 for 5km on the roads, improving on the previous women&rsquo;s record in a mixed gender race of 14:48 set by her compatriot Caroline Kipkirui on 8 September 2018.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6028f4510d6c397fd0421cdc.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /> Beatrice Chepkoech breaks the world 5km record in Monaco&nbsp;(&copy;&nbsp;Global Sports Communication)
 It was also one second faster than Sifan Hassan's 14:44 record for a women-only race, which had previously been the fastest time ever produced over the distance since the 5km was introduced as a world record event in November 2017.
"I'm so happy because I didn't expect it," said Chepkoech, who broke the world 3000m steeplechase record with 8:44.32 also in Monaco in 2018. "It was cold and there was a lot of wind, but I tried to follow my pacemaker and everything was perfect."
<h3>Kandie set&nbsp;a new standard</h3>
Two months earlier, Kandie had also made road running history by clocking 57:32 at the Valencia Trinidad Alfonso EDP Half Marathon.
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/5fcdfa3e056bd8378930a182.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="590" /> Kibiwott Kandie breaks the world record at the Valencia Half Marathon (&copy; Getty Images)
 Running in near-ideal conditions on December 6, Kenya&rsquo;s Kandie gained his&nbsp;&ldquo;revenge&rdquo; after missing out on World Athletics Half Marathon Championships gold in Gdynia seven weeks before.
There he was beaten by Uganda&rsquo;s Jacob Kiplimo but in Valencia Kandie turned the tables in superb style, also shaving 29 seconds from the previous world half-marathon record of 58:01 which had been set by his compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor in Copenhagen on 15 September 2019.
In a race of incredible depth, the next three finishers &ndash; Kiplimo (57:37), Rhonex Kipruto (57:49) and Alexander Mutiso (57:59) &ndash; also dipped under the previous record.
Splits of 8:05 at 3km and 13:37 at 5km &ndash; 11 seconds inside world record pace &ndash; had suggested that a historic run was in the making. The 10km point was reached in 27:25, while 15km was passed in 41:10. The closing kilometre was a thriller as Kiplimo took the lead with around 900 metres remaining, but Kandie responded and took control some 500 metres from the finish, going on to add his name to the record book.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe it, I have beaten Kamworor&rsquo;s world record by half a minute,&rdquo; said Kandie. &ldquo;Today is a great day for me and also for Kenya.&rdquo;
World Athletics

Gudaf Tsegay, Beatrice Chepkoech and Kibiwott Kandie will go into the Olympic season with recent world records to their names, after their respective marks over 1500m, 5km and the half-marathon were ratified this week.

Ratified: World records for Tsegay, Chepkoech and Kandie

Linden Hall has made her own piece of Australian athletics history, becoming the first Australian woman to run under four minutes for 1500m in Melbourne on Thursday (1).
Running on her own for the last 700 metres at Melbourne&rsquo;s Box Hill track, Hall kicked down from a 2:09 first 800 metres to a 3:59.67 finish. Genevieve Gregson was a distant second in 4:10.08, just ahead of Melissa Duncan&rsquo;s 4:10.40, but it was the race against the clock which counted most.
In winning, Hall regained the Australian record from her World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 teammate Jessica Hull, but she also beat Hull to the accolade of being the first Australian to run under four minutes.
It was an achievement which seemed imminent when Margaret Crowley set an Australian record 4:01.34 in Oslo in 1996 before going on to finish fifth in the Atlanta Olympic final, but the sense of inevitability seemed to evaporate as the record progressed to 4:00.93 by Sarah Jamieson in 2006, 4:00.86 by Hall in 2018 and then 4:00.42 by Hull in Berlin last year.
Hall presaged her breakthrough with a 1:59.22 for 800m as she chased Catriona Bissett home in Brisbane at the Queensland Track Classic on Saturday (27). But there was still the matter of getting it done. Crowley twice ran under two minutes for 800m without breaking through to a sub-four 1500m.
Paced by Ellie Sandford through the first 800 metres in a tick over 2:09, Hall struck out solo after that. A 63-second third lap saw her take the bell in around 2:57. In warm and windless conditions. Hall never faltered, running just under 62 seconds for the final lap.
The Box Hill track, in Melbourne&rsquo;s eastern suburbs, has seen some pretty good middle-distance running over the years. The late Graham Crouch and Peter Fuller battled it out over a mile there in 1974 with Crouch winning in an Australian all-comers&rsquo; record 3:56.7. Hall has a part in this history, too, with a national record 2:35.90 over 1000m on 2 March and another solo performance of 4:04.33 at the track at January&rsquo;s Zatopek meeting.
Hall had already achieved the Tokyo Olympic automatic qualifying standard with a 4:02.02 in Canberra on 11 March, but there was a near-miss in the men&rsquo;s 1500m as Jye Edwards continued his rise this year with a 3:35.46 to 3:35.94 victory over Matthew Ramsden. In third place, Ryan Gregson had his fastest run of the season with 3:36.72.
The result leaves the Australian men&rsquo;s Olympic 1500m picture in a confused state. Stewart McSweyn, a late withdrawal from the Box Hill race, and Ramsden have both achieved the 3:35.00 auto standard, meaning that if either wins the national title in Sydney later this month, they will clinch selection in the team for Tokyo.
Edwards, who is coached by Dick Telford, is the form athlete at the moment. A week ago, he won at the Melbourne Track Classic with a strong final 200 metres. At Box Hill, he was again too good over the closing stages for Ramsden. If he adds the national title to his credentials, it will be very hard to overlook his claims for the Olympic team.
In the men&rsquo;s 800m, Peter Bol lost his first race at the distance for the domestic season. He followed the pacemaker through a 51-second first lap but New Zealand&rsquo;s Australia-based Brad Mathas closed the gap after 500 metres and got the upper hand up the final straight to win, 1:46.31 to 1:46.49.
Bol had previously won four races over 800m and one over 1000m, but to date has fallen just short of the Tokyo automatic standard of 1:45.20.
In the men&rsquo;s 3000m, London and Rio Olympian David McNeill ran a personal best 7:46.41 in defeating Liam Cashin.
Len Johnson for World Athletics&nbsp;

Linden Hall has made her own piece of Australian athletics history, becoming the first Australian woman to run under four minutes for 1500m in Melbourne on Thursday (1).

Hall leaps from sub-two to sub-four in Melbourne

Ollie Hoare went to the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on New York&rsquo;s Staten Island on 13 February to run the 1500m with one thing in mind.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;d had a good training camp in Scottsdale (Arizona) and the goal was to run an Olympic qualifier and make a statement,&rdquo; Hoare relates.
&ldquo;We certainly did that,&rdquo; the 24-year-old from Sydney&rsquo;s southern suburbs adds, this time with considerable understatement. Three minutes 32.35 seconds after the sound of the starter&rsquo;s gun, Hoare had improved his outright personal best by more than two seconds, leaving 3:29.47-man Jake Wightman a similar margin behind and smashing Stewart McSweyn&rsquo;s Australian and Oceania records by almost three seconds.
&ldquo;As a season opener, it was kind of crazy,&rdquo; Hoare observes.
&ldquo;It certainly was, Ollie,&rdquo; Stan Laurel might have put it. Quite the dramatic impact. But if Hoare wants to binge athletics drama, he need not even venture out of his Australian family home. His father, Greg, is an old running mate of Andrew Lloyd&rsquo;s who pulled off one of the most dramatic wins in Australian Commonwealth Games history in Auckland in 1990, running down Olympic champion John Ngugi in the final straight of the 5000m.
&ldquo;Andrew and Dad are great mates,&rdquo; Hoare says. &ldquo;Once Dad found the footage of that race on the net, he would play it over and over.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen that race about a million times,&rdquo; Hoare adds with a laugh. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6062fff7c04c78daa2b9aac0.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="1254" /> Oliver Hoare in action at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (&copy; Victah Sailer)
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Hoare&rsquo;s 1500m was the star turn of a stellar couple of nights in the (short) history of Australian indoor athletics. More recently, he ran 13:22.16 for 5000m, improving his personal best by more than six seconds. He had been on course to finish inside the Olympic qualifying standard of 13:13.50 but he fell off the pace in the final 700 metres.
Another Australian to race well at Ocean Breeze was Morgan McDonald who ran 8:14.92 in the two miles to smash the venerable national record previously held by Clarke-era steeplechaser Kerry O&rsquo;Brien.
Ocean breezes didn&rsquo;t reach as far as Fayetteville, Arkansas, where that same night another rising Australian talent, Charlie Hunter, won the 800m in 1:45.59, slashing more than a second-and-a-half off a more recent national record &ndash; Joseph Deng&rsquo;s 1:47.27, set in 2019. This was also an Oceania record.
The previous evening, Hunter had finished third in a mile dominated by his teammates from the University of Oregon, in an Australian record of 3:53.49 which had, in its turn, improved by a full second the record Hunter had set a fortnight earlier. (A few weeks later he won the NCAA indoor 800m title in 1:45.90.)
Admittedly, some of Australia&rsquo;s indoor records were long overdue for improvement. Trouble is, there&rsquo;s not usually much opportunity. Many Australian records, especially in the middle-distances, date back to the 1960-70 era when Ron Clarke, Ralph Doubell and Kerry O&rsquo;Brien travelled regularly to the thriving US indoor circuit (which coincided with the Australian summer, so they were all in top form), while others like Kerry Pearce, who set a world record for two miles, were based at US colleges.
Mind you, Covid-19 and the quarantine requirements mandated by most countries &ndash; including Australia and New Zealand &ndash; are likely to impose their own complications on travel, and Olympic selection, for US-based Australian athletes.
Hoare, for example, was in Australia late last year, combining a visit home with the requirement to depart the US and re-apply for a new visa. He endured two weeks&rsquo; hotel isolation in quarantine then, and is not prepared to do so for the national championships. Hunter, who hails from Gosford, was considering coming back, but it is understood Hoare, Hunter and McDonald have been granted exemption from the championships.
It will make Olympic selection more difficult. The national championships in Sydney next month are the official trials event, but only one place is guaranteed to be solely dependent on performance then. Any athlete who wins their event (or is first Australian) and has the automatic qualifying standard will be selected.
The rest are discretionary, though if recent practice is followed, all who can be selected will be selected, largely following finishing order in the trials. That&rsquo;s simple in most events where there will be fewer than three athletes with the qualifying standard. It&rsquo;s fiendishly complex where there is more than three, and further complicated if some do not or cannot run the championships, even if requests for exemption are granted. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6062fead566a3f309e539d11.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" /> Oliver Hoare and Matthew Ramsden in action at the 2016 Australian U20 Championships (&copy; Getty Images)
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Take the men&rsquo;s 1500m: McSweyn, Hoare and Matt Ramsden already have the standard. Some, or all, of Jye Edwards, Ryan Gregson, Luke Mathews, Hunter and Jordan Williamsz are likely to get it. Olympic years inevitably bring dark horses. It looms as a selection nightmare.
Getting all the contenders into one race, in one place, at one time aside, there is also generational change in the air. There are links between three of the younger guns. Ramsden and Hoare met in the de Castella U20 3000m at the Zatopek meeting in 2015. Hoare had a 15-metre lead with 300 metres to go before Ramsden ran him down to win.
Ramsden ran well at the World Championships in Doha, reaching the 1500m semifinal and narrowly missing out on the final.
&ldquo;Matt is a fantastic racer,&rdquo; says Hoare. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been great for Australian athletics.&rdquo;
Hoare also shares a bond with McDonald, who preceded him at the University of Wisconsin. &ldquo;I have known Morgan since I was a 10-year-old, running at the national cross country championships in Perth in 2007-8,&rdquo; he told Athletics New South Wales last year. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6062ff66ee103e6439d56671.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="651" /> Oliver Hoare wins the 1500m in an Oceanian indoor record of 3:32.35 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (&copy; Getty Images)
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&ldquo;Morgan has been a mentor and a good mate.&rdquo; As they are likely to be contesting different events, that friendship may not be stress-tested in the race to Tokyo.
McDonald, Hunter and Ramsden were U20 teammates at the World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang in 2015. It wasn&rsquo;t a memorable result &ndash; McDonald 40th of 118, Hunter 106th and Ramsden DNF &ndash; but Hunter says it was &ldquo;special to represent Australia for the first time. It shaped me in exposing me to high-level athletes&rdquo;.
For Hoare, Hunter and all the other contenders, the battle for a place in Australia&rsquo;s Tokyo team could be every bit as character-building.
Len Johnson for World Athletics

Ollie Hoare went to the World Athletics Indoor Tour meeting at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on New York’s Staten Island on 13 February to run the 1500m with one thing in mind.

Statement made with record run, Hoare hopeful of Olympic selection

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Hungarian 1500m champion Istvan&nbsp;Szogi&nbsp;set a national indoor record of 3:37.55&nbsp;en&nbsp;route to victory in Vienna in January. But it was actually the sport of competitive kayaking which sowed the early seeds&nbsp;of the 25-year-old&rsquo;s future running success.
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"I grew up around kayaking from the age of five," he explains. "My mother,&nbsp;Magdolma, represented the national team in the sport and my four older siblings also kayaked, so I guess it was inevitable that I too would start the sport.
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"I also played football, basketball, handball and did track and field at elementary school but my main focus was kayaking &ndash; a big sport in Hungary, where we achieve lots of success at the Olympic level."
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/605c5997a71aa90e49f126f9.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="552" /> Istvan Szogi believes his start in kayaking helped his future running career 
<h3>Starting out</h3>
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"I first competed from the age of six or seven, although back then I just enjoyed practise and I remember going out&nbsp;for&nbsp;warm-up runs happy to talk the other kayakers at the back,"&nbsp;Szogi adds.
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"It was only from the age of about eight or nine when I started to become more serious and competitive about the sport.&nbsp;
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"As I was still quite young there was little opportunity to compete internationally but I was competing in national events and made the podium on a number of occasions. I enjoyed the longer races&nbsp;from distances of&nbsp;4km to 10km and the competitions were typically on a lake.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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"I really enjoyed being out on the water, competing with others and having fun. I always loved competition and&nbsp;pushing my limits &ndash; especially as my older siblings also competed as well."
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/605c5926a71aa90e49f126f6.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="596" /> Istvan Szogi on the podium during his days as a junior kayaker 
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<h3>A sporting switch</h3>
"I quit kayaking to focus on running at the age of 13," he says. "The reason why I made that decision was I was so skinny and short compared to the other guys who were so tall and big. I thought: 'I just can&rsquo;t compete with these bigger athletes!'&nbsp;
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"By that point, I was also enjoying quite a lot of success as a runner. My mum always encouraged me to compete in road races and I often placed in the top three for my age-group.&nbsp;
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"But a key moment for me came when I finished second in a local cross country. I remember I beat all of the older guys except one.&nbsp;The&nbsp;coach of the local club&nbsp;spoke to me after the race and asked if I wanted to compete for their track club because&nbsp;he thought I could be&nbsp;very good.&nbsp;His name was Ferenc&nbsp;Reichnach, a former 1:46 800m runner, who became my first coach.
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"Looking back, I think kayaking set me up well in many ways for my future career in running. The discipline, determination and competitiveness in kayaking were all important elements I took away from my time in the sport. Meanwhile, training almost every day from the age of five gave me a great overall conditioning. I feel this gives me a little edge on other athletes who perhaps only started training at the age of 15.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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"Even when training for kayak we ran most days. We&rsquo;d often warm up with a run or on a weekend go for a longer run and I think this definitely helped my overall fitness."
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Steve Landells for World Athletics&nbsp;
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Hungarian 1500m champion Istvan Szogi set a national indoor record of 3:37.55 en route to victory in Vienna in January. But it was actually the sport of competitive kayaking which sowed the early seeds of the 25-year-old’s future running success.