World championships 5000m silver medallist Jacob Krop is set to kickstart his outdoor track season at the Diamond League Meeting set for Florence, Italy on June 2.
Krop will be aiming for his first win of the season after recording a poor start in the last three races.
He finished fifth in Valencia in the 10km race before finishing third over the 3000m in France. He then finished fourth in a 5km road race in Lille, also in France.
Krop will face stiff competition from a quality field led by his compatriot Nicholas Kipkorir. The Ugandan duo of Joshua Cheptegei and Oscar Chelimo pose a big threat to Krop’s medal chances.
Also to watch will be the Ethiopian quintet of Berihu Aregawi, Haile Bekele, Yomif Kejelcha, Samuel Tefera, and Getnet Wale.
Kipkorir opened his season at the World Cross-country Championships in Bathurst, Australia, in February, where he finished 13th in the senior men’s race.
The two-time world champion Cheptegei will be aiming to improve on his fine start to the season after finishing third and second at the World Cross-country Championships and the New York City Half Marathon respectively.
Chelimo, a world 5,000m bronze medalist will be renewing his rivalry with Krop who defeated him in last year’s world championships.