David Rudisha in action in the 800m (AFP / Getty Images) © Copyright.
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 20 – The Bauhaus-Galan is taking advantage of the recent rescheduling of the Kenyan Olympic Trials and will now welcome four of the East African nation’s world champions to the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Stockholm on June 16.
Traditionally known for its dominance at long-distance running, last year Kenyan athletes won world titles in the 400m hurdles and javelin.
2015 became the year when Kenya earned gold medals at the 400 meters hurdles and javelin.
The sensational winners were Nicholas Bett who had never competed at such a high level before the Championships in Beijing, and Julius Yego who rose to the top level three years before when he reached the Olympic final as the first ever Kenyan thrower.
Nicholas Bett sprinted to the 400m hurdles gold medal from lane eight, shaving his PB by half a second to set a national record of 47.79.
Julius Yego, meanwhile, moved to third on the world all-time list when winning the javelin title with an African record of 92.72m.
Both men will be joined in Stockholm’s 1912 Olympic Stadium by competitors in Kenya’s more traditional events.
World and Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha will make his first ever appearance in Stockholm.
The world record-holder competed in Sweden as a teenager, winning in Malmo nine years ago with what was then a PB of 1:45.10.
“I’m looking forward to competing in the Olympic Stadium where Wilson Kipketer equalled Sebastian Coe’s long-standing world record,” Rudisha said of the 1:41.73 stadium record.
By contrast, 2014 world indoor 3000m champion Caleb Ndiku is familiar with the Swedish capital as four of his PBs have been set there, including his 5000m best of 12:59.17 from two years ago.
On 16 June he will try to reproduce that form in the 5000m at the Bauhaus-Galan.
2016 IAAF Diamond League calendar
6 May – Doha, QAT
14 May – Shanghai, CHN
22 May – Rabat, MAR
28 May – Eugene, USA
2 Jun – Rome, ITA
5 Jun – Birmingham, GBR
9 Jun – Oslo, NOR
16 Jun – Stockholm, SWE
15 Jul – Monaco, MON
22-23 Jul – London, GBR
25 Aug – Lausanne, SUI
27 Aug – Paris, FRA
1 Sep – Zurich, SUI
9 Sep – Brussels, BEL
