Jacob Araptany in the Steeplechase qualifying (© Getty Images)
Kenya's elite 3000m steeplechasers will be looking to atone for the performances of their 10,000m colleagues who for the first time since 2003 failed to win a medal in the longest race on the track.
The strength in depth of Ezekiel Kemboi, Brimin Kipruto, Richard Mateelong plus Abraham Chirchir, suggests that one of them winning a medal will be a formality, but also hints a repeat of the clean sweep they achieved four years ago in Osaka could be in the cards.
On that occasion Kipruto, very much the man of the moment after missing the World recored by just 0.01sec at last month's Samsung Diamond League meet in Monaco, was the victor ahead of Kemboi and Matelong.
The trio all comfortably qualified for Wednesday night's final although Kemboi the defending champion was the only one to cross the line in first position when winning his heat in 8:10.93 - the fastest of the morning.
The fast time came courtesy of Ruben Ramolefi who set a very brisk pace passing through the first two kilometres in 2:45.43 and 5:27.81 and ultimately finishing second and being further rewarded when lowering his South African record by 0.13 to 8:11.50.
Ramolefi's early pace quickly reduced the pack to five contenders for the four automatic qualifying places with Bouabdellah Tahri the 2009 bronze medallist behind Kemboi and Mateelong sitting on his shoulder until fading in the last lap.
The Frenchman who set a European record on that occasion in Berlin had no answer when Hamid Ezzine and Nahom Mesfin of Morocco and Ethiopia took third and fourth positions with season and personal bests of 8:11.81 ands 8:12.04.
But the French champion went through as one of three fastest losers, his time of 8:13.22 also being quicker than the Ugandan pair Jacob Araptany and Benjamin Kiplagat posted winning the other two heats.
Araptany, last year's World junior bronze medallist, dominated his heat against elder opponents with a confident display suggesting despite his youth he could be a serious contender for a medal.
The 19-year-old Ugandan, who is also a world class 1500 runner, led through the first kilometre ahead of the pack in 2:54.10 then immediately stretched his legs to open a 10m gap from a chasing group of four which included 2009 silver medallist Mateelong, Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, France's Olympic silver medallist and Ion Luchianov of Moldova.
At one stage the gap had grown to 20m but over the final circuit Araptany was reeled in by Benabbad who took second in 8:23.71, followed by Mateelong (8:23.76) and Luchianov (8:23.88).
Ugandan record holder Kiplagat like his colleague also produced a front running display and the ninth finisher at the Beijing Olympics was never challenged as before crossing the line in 8:19.96.
Behind him Roba Gari, sixth two years ago, took second in 8.20.28 followed home by Kipruto and unexpectedly Alberto Paulo the recently crowned World Student Games champion.
Fifth placed Chirchir with a season's best 8:23.09, also went through as one of the three fastest losers with Tahri and his team mate Vincent Zouaoui-Dandrieaux who clocked 8:23.79.
Now the stage is set for what promises to be a superfast final. Olympic champion Kipruto, after his narrow miss in Monaco, has declared he can on this occasion lower the World record of 7:56.63 which Saif Saaeed Shaheen set in Brussels seven years ago.
David Martin for the IAAF
