This archive report was first published on 11 June 2020.
Published on June 11, 2020, the Oslo leg of the World Athletics Diamond League is set to take place in a unique manner, with the Bislett Games in Norway turning into a virtual battle.
The highlight of the night will be the 2,000m Maurie Plant Memorial race, which pits the Ingebrigtsen brothers of Norway, Jakob, Filip, and Henrik, against World 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot and his teammates, Commonwealth Champion Elijah Manangoi and Edward Meli.
The race will be televised on Split Screen, with the average time of each team being used to determine the winner. The Ingebrigtsen brothers will be looking to break the 2,000m European record.
Team Cheruiyot will race at the Nyayo National Stadium in Kenya, while Team Ingebrigtsen will race at the Bislett Stadium in Oslo. Each team will have three competing athletes and two rabbits (pacemakers). Only three athletes will cross the line.
Other races on the cards include 400m hurdles world champion Karsten Warholm's attempt at a world record over 300m hurdles and a virtual pole vault showdown between world record holder Norwegian Mondo Duplantis and Diamond League record champion Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie.
According to Timothy Cheruiyot, 'We have been preparing very well for the race and we are hoping to do well. I am happy to race again especially at home and I am ready for the challenge.'
Henrik Ingebrigtsen added, 'We are ready to race again because it's been so long. We are still in training mode but we have to change our mindset tonight and get the competition race mode locked on.'
The race will be available on SuperSport 8 from 8:35pm in Kenya and will also be streamed live by the World Athletics and Bislett Games Facebook pages and YouTube Channels.
