Kenyan World Cross Country Championship winner Geoffrey Kamworor, Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo will all fight for gold alongside Britain’s Mo Farah at the Eugene Diamond League series on Saturday.
It will be a collection of the world’s best distance runners in the 5000m at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon, USA.
Mo Farah of Great Britain who now has nine major gold medals – four from the Olympics and five from the World Championships is favourite for the gong but all will not go as easy.
Paul Chelimo will come in there after surprising for silver medallist in Rio. He made 15 seconds off his PB with 13:03.90 to earn USA’s first Olympic 5000m medal since 1964.
Geoffrey Kamworor won won his second world cross-country crown after setting PBs in all three of his appearances at the Pre Classic, including last year’s runner-up finish at 12:59:98.
Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei along side Jacob Kilplimo will feature in the race.
Cheptegei finished fifth and sixth respectively in the Olympic 5000m and 10,000m finals at the age of 19. He won the world U20 10,000m title in Eugene back in 2014.
Jacob Kiplimo claimed Uganda’s first ever gold medal in World Cross Country history two months ago, posting 22.40 – with a significant lead off his competitors in the final stretch of the Under 20 men’s race.
Other athletes in the 5,000m race include; Commonwealth champion in 5,000m Caleb Mwangangi, 2013 world bronze medallist Isaiah Koech, Nicholas Kosimbei, William Sitonik and Olympics silver medallist Paul Tanui.