Final yr was a press release season for Edmonton’s Marco Arop. The 24-year-old middle-distance runner set a brand new Canadian soil 800m document in his hometown, broke the Canadian 1,000m document and capped issues off with a world championship bronze medal in Eugene. Arop introduced himself as a world-class 800m runner, and his rivals are on discover. At Friday’s Paris Diamond League, Arop will race the 2 males who completed forward of him for gold and silver in Eugene.
800m showdown
Though it’s early within the season, Arop has had a quiet begin to 2023. Two weeks in the past on the Rabat Diamond League, Arop was among the many favourites to win, however completed a distant fifth, in 1:46:34. Arop, who often runs from the entrance, took a unique method in Rabat. He got here via the primary 400m in ninth place, round 52 seconds, and struggled to keep up contact with Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who gained the race in 1:44.36.
Arop stated on his social media that he was not joyful along with his lead to Rabat, however that he’s motivated to rebound in Paris. The race gained’t be simple, as he’ll battle world and Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir and the robust Algerian duo of world silver medallist Djamel Sedjati and Slimane Moula, who’re each harmful in a sluggish, extra tactical 800m race. The 800m winner at Paris Diamond League would be the probably favorite heading into the 2023 World Championships in Budapest this August.
Kipyegon vs. Gidey over 5,000m
The world document holder over 5,000m, Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey, will open her season on the Paris Diamond League towards Kenyan distance star Religion Kipyegon, who broke the ladies’s 1,500m document final week in Florence. Kipyegon grew to become the primary lady to run beneath 3:50, clocking a time of three:49.11, surpassing Genzebe Dibaba’s earlier document of three:50.07. The 5,000m isn’t overseas to Kipyegon, whose private finest is a powerful 14:31.95, however who has not run the space for the reason that 2015 Pre Basic. Final week, she confirmed the world that she is in the most effective form of her profession, breaking the ladies’s 1,500m world document that had stood for eight years.
There are numerous questions on Gidey’s health heading into Paris, since this will likely be her first observe race of the 2023 season. Her solely different race got here on the 2023 World XC Championships, the place she collapsed with lower than 200m to go, whereas main. Final season, Gidey raced the 5,000m on the Diamond League circuit twice and ran sub 14:30 on each events, however didn’t handle to get the win.
Additionally making a transfer as much as the 5,000m from the 1,500m is Scotland’s Laura Muir. The 30-year-old has not raced a 5,000m since 2017, however she has proven that she is in nice form to begin the 2023 season, inserting second to Kipyegon within the 1,500m in Florence on June 2. Muir holds a private better of 14:52.07 and it’s certain to be damaged if she is in rivalry on Friday.
A number of world document makes an attempt
Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma have introduced that they are going to be taking pictures for a world document of their respective races. Ingebrigtsen will goal Daniel Komen’s two-mile document of seven:58.61, which would require him to run back-to-back sub-four-minute miles. Ingebrigtsen holds the thirteenth quickest 3,000m in historical past in 7:27.05, and he’ll have to be inside a second or two of his finest to knock off Komen’s document, which has stood for 26 years.
Girma will give the lads’s 3,000m steeplechase document a shot. He has gained three silver consecutive medals within the self-discipline (2019 Worlds, 2020 Olympics and 2022 Worlds), principally shedding to the identical man, Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, who will not be in Friday’s area. Girma’s steeplechase private finest is 5 seconds slower than the present document of seven:53.63 by Qatari-Kenyan Saif Saaeed Shaheen. Girma set the indoor 3,000m document of seven:23.83 earlier this season, however he stated on the pre-race press convention that he refuses to race different distances till he breaks the world document for the three,000m steeplechase.
Methods to watch
You’ll be able to stream all of the motion from Friday’s Paris Diamond League on-line with CBC Sports activities, beginning at 2 p.m. E.T.
