The 2020 Olympic 1,500m silver medallist Timothy Cheruiyot will face a daunting task at the Zurich Diamond League as he squares up against Paris Olympics medallists tonight.
At the Paris Games, Cheruiyot struggled to finish second last in 3:31.35, just ahead of fellow Kenyan, Brian Komen, who clocked 3:35.59.
The race in Zurich promises to be fiercely competitive with all three medallists from Paris (USA's Cole Hocker, Britains Josh Kerr and Yared Nuguse) in contention.
Hocker clinched the Olympic crown in 3:27.65 ahead of Kerr (3:27.79) and Nuguse (3:27.80).
Despite a poor Olympic run, Cheruiyot boasts an extensive resume that includes five Diamond League trophies, the 2019 world title and a World Championships silver from 2017.
He has two Commonwealth titles and two at the African Championships.
Hocker has been in fine form, finishing second at the Lausanne Diamond League last month in 3:29.85, behind Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who clocked 3:27.83.
Nuguse, on the other hand, claimed second place in the Dusseldorf Mile road race last Sunday, crossing the line in 3:51.9, sandwiched between Britain’s Elliot Giles (3:51.3) and Vincent Keter (3:54.9).
Ingebrigtsen, the Olympic 5,000m champion, will also be a formidable opponent.
Although he fell short in defending his 1,500m Olympic title in Paris, finishing fourth in 3:28.24, the Norwegian has since made a stunning comeback, breaking Daniel Komen’s 28-year-old 3,000m world record in 7:17.55 at the Silesia Diamond League on August 25.
The 23-year-old Ingebrigtsen comes armed with a glittering resume, including two world titles over 5,000m, two world silvers in 1,500m, six European championships — 1,500m and 5,000m, and six European Cross Country titles.
Cheruiyot has company in compatriots Reynold Cheruiyot, the 2022 World U20 champion and Boaz Kiprugut, the 2017 African U20 silver medallist.
Other key competitors include Norway's Narve Nordas, Australia's Oliver Hoare and Netherlands' Stefan Nillessen.
