Selemon Barega and Telahun Bekele in the 5000m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Rome (© Jean-Pierre Durand)
Five of this season's six fastest men will line up in the 5000m at the Athletissima meeting in Lausanne on 5 July, eighth stop of the 2019 IAAF Diamond League.
Telahun Haile Bekele of Ethiopia, the fastest this season at 12:52.98, will be facing stiff competition, including compatriot Selemon Barega, whom he narrowly defeated in the series' leg in Rome, Barega clocking 12:53.04.
The field also includes Asian champion Birhanu Balew of Bahrain, Ethiopia's reigning world champion Muktar Edris and his compatriot Abadi Hadis, who clocked 12:56.48 in that fast Rome race. Olympic silver medallist Paul Chelimo from the US and Kenyan Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli will also be on the start line. Balew won in Lausanne last year in 13:01.09, a world at the time.
Swiss road running star Julien Wanders will be taking to the track as well, along with Henrik Ingebrigtsen of Norway.
Salwa Eid Naser will lead the field in the women's 400m. The 21-year-old, who sped to silver at the 2017 World Championships, has already collected series victories in Shanghai, Rome and Rabat. She'll face Jamaican trio Chrisann Gordon, Stephenie Ann McPherson and Shericka Williams and Courtney Okolo of the US.
Organisers for the IAAF
2019 IAAF Diamond League calendar
3 May – Doha, QAT
18 May – Shanghai, CHN
30 May – Stockholm, SWE
6 Jun – Rome, ITA
13 Jun – Oslo, NOR
16 Jun – Rabat, MAR
30 Jun – Stanford, USA
5 Jul – Lausanne, SUI
12 Jul – Monaco, MON
20-21 Jul – London, GBR
18 Aug – Birmingham, GBR
24 Aug – Paris, FRA
29 Aug – Zurich, SUI
6 Sep – Brussels, BEL
