This archive report was first published on 4 July 2019.
Published on July 4, 2019, Timothy Cheruiyot, the 2018 Diamond League champion, is gearing up for the Lausanne leg of the IAAF Diamond League. Cheruiyot, who will be competing in Lausanne for the first time, is currently leading the series in his event.
However, he will face stiff competition from top athletes, including 2014 world indoor champion Ayanleh Souleiman, European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Rabat winner Vincent Kibet, and world indoor bronze medallist Bethwel Birgen.
Another notable athlete, Emmanuel Korir, will be looking to secure his first 800m win of the year. Korir's task will be made slightly easier by the absence of Nijel Amos, who beat him in Doha and Rabat, but he will still have to contend with the likes of Canadian record-holder Brandon McBride and world and Olympic finalist Ferguson Cheruiyot.
The men's 5000m event in Lausanne promises to be an exciting one, with all four of the top athletes in the 5000m world rankings set to compete. The top nine athletes in the 5000m world rankings will toe the line at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, including world champion and meeting record-holder Muktar Edris, Olympic silver medallist Paul Chelimo, Olympic bronze medallist Hagos Gebrhiwet, and Asian champion Birhanu Balew.
Winning in Lausanne has proven to be a good omen for previous champions, including Mo Farah in 2015 and Muktar Edris in 2017. For whoever wins on Friday, it will be interesting to see how they fare in Doha later this year.
Multiple world and Olympic gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has shown impressive form, with a 10.73 run at the Jamaican Championships. If she can reproduce that kind of shape in Lausanne, it will be difficult for the likes of world silver medallist Marie-Josee Ta Lou, European champion Dina Asher-Smith, and double world 200m champion Dafne Schippers to keep up with the Jamaican.
