Chebet hoping to end season with DL trophy

Commonwealth Games 5000m champion Beatrice Chebet will be seeking her maiden Diamond League trophy at the finals to be held this evening in Zurich, Switzerland.

After competing in 12 meetings, athletes are converging in Zurich as the 2022 Diamond League season comes to a close with a two-day final beginning Wednesday evening.

Chebet will be the hot favourite to bag the trophy in the 5000m race after a successful season that also saw her clinch silver at the World Championships in Oregon. She also emerged victorious at the ISTAF Berlin Continental Tour Silver on Sunday.

The African champion will team up with world 10,000m bronze medallist Margaret Chelimo and will face a tough test from among others world champion Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, Olympic champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and defending champion Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi.

“It has been a long season and God has really done wonders to me. I hope I can just sign off this season with a win,” Chebet told Citizen Digital.

World 5000m silver medallist Jacob Krop will lead Kenya’s field in the men’s race whose final will also be held Wednesday.

Fresh from running a world leading time in Brussels barely a week ago, Krop will be looking to close the season on a high and will be joined by compatriots Commonwealth Games silver medallist Nicholas Kimeli and Cornelius Kemboi with the trio chasing their first Diamond League trophy.

With the absence of Ugandan pair Joshua Cheptegei and Jacob Kiplimo, the Ethiopian quartet of Olympic champion Selemon Barega , Berihu Aregawi, Haile Bekele and Yomif Kejelcha poses a great threat for Kenyans.