• Cheruiyot, who wanted to upgrade his Olympic silver from Tokyo three years ago, fizzled to a surprising second-last finish, clocking 3:31.35.
• Olympic 800m bronze medallist Mary Moraa headlines the two-lap race as she begins preparations for her title defence at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
Image: HANDOUT
The 2020 Olympic 1,500m silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot will chase his sixth Diamond League victory in Lausanne on August 22, eager to bounce back from a disappointing outing at the Paris Olympics.
Cheruiyot, who wanted to upgrade his Olympic silver from Tokyo three years ago, fizzled to a surprising second-last finish, clocking 3:31.35.
The 28-year-old, however, remains a formidable force, boasting five Diamond League trophies from Zurich 2017 (3:33.93), Paris 2018 (3:29.71), Monaco 2019 (3:29.97), Doha 2021 (3:30.48) and Zurich 2021 (3:31.37).
Joining him on the track in Lausanne is 2022 World U20 champion Reynold Cheruiyot, who is also eager for redemption after failing to make the Olympic final after finishing 10th in his semifinal in a time of 3:35.32.
Reynold’s resume includes a gold from last year’s African U20 Championships in Ndola, Zambia, and a silver from the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia.
Also in contention is 2023 African Games champion Brian Komen, who, like his compatriots, will seek to improve after finishing last at the Olympics.
Komen claimed the Doha Diamond League victory in May in a time of 3:32.43, beating Timothy to second in 3:32.67 as Reynold placed third in 3:32.67.
Timothy will renew his rivalry with double Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway — 1500m at Tokyo 2020 and 5000m at Paris 2024.
The Norwegian failed to defend his 1500m title in Paris, placing fourth in the final (3:28.24), won by USA’s Cole Hocker in an Olympic record of 3:27.65.
Hocker joins the star-studded field in Lausanne, alongside compatriot Kessler Hobbs, the World Indoor bronze medallist.
The race will also feature European Champion Pietro Arese of Italy, 2023 European Indoor bronze medallist Azeddine Habz of France and 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Oliver Hoare of Australia.
Others are South Sudan-born Swiss Dominic Lokinyomo, the 10,000m European champion and 2023 European bronze medallist Isaac Nader of Portugal.
Olympic 800m bronze medallist Mary Moraa headlines the two-lap race as she begins preparations for her title defence at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
Moraa claimed her first Olympic medal in Paris after placing third in the 800m final (1:57.42), trailing Britain’s Keeley Hodgkinson (1:56.72) and Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma (1:57.15).
Moraa faces a stiff challenge from British stars Georgia Bell, the Olympic 1,500m bronze medallist and World Indoor silver medallist Jemma Reekie.
Three-time European silver medallist Renelle Lamote of France, 2019 world champion Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda and the American duo of Allie Wilson and Nia Akins will also be in the hunt.