19 July 2013

Six British athletes will compete at the Monaco leg of the IAAF Diamond League this evening.

Mo Farah (coach: Alberto Salazar) steps down from his usual distance to compete over 1500m in Monaco today. The double Olympic champion will face a strong field that includes former world and Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop, who has a personal best of 3:28.88, and Bethwell Birgen who leads the field’s 2013 season bests with a time of 3:31.90.

Shara Proctor (Rana Reider) will hope to continue her excellent run of form as she competes in the long jump. Proctor took victories in Oslo and at the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix – Birmingham and has jumped over 6.90m on two occasions, in Rome and Lausanne. However, the 24 year old will have to contend with Darya Klishina of Russia and Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare.

Steve Lewis (Scott Simpson) will face the top three from the London 2012 Olympic Games as he goes up against France’s Renauld Lavillenie and German duo Raphael Holzdeppe and Bjorn Otto in the men’s pole vault. Lewis has a best height of 5.65m but will hope to be closer to his personal best of 5.80m in Monaco.

Following her victory over 200m at the Sainsbury’s British Championships, Anyika Onuora (Rana Reider) will compete over 400m as she looks to build on the personal best of 51.38 she set earlier this month. Amantle Montsho of Botswana has dominated the event during 2013 and has a season’s best of 49.87 while London 2012 4x400m relay gold medallist Francena McCorory, who has ran a personal best 50.01 this year, is also in the field.

Chris Thompson (Mark Rowland) will take on a world class field in the men’s 5,000m as he looks to improve on the season’s best 13:24.06 he set at the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix – Birmingham. Thompson will face the likes of Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Galen Rupp, Olympic 5,000m bronze medallist Thomas Longosiwa and Isiah Koech, one of only two men in the field to have run under 13 minutes during 2013.

EIlish McColgan (Liz McColgan), who has a season’s best of 9:41.50, will face Kenya’s world silver medallist Milcah Chemos in the 3,000m steeplechase. Chemos has the quickest personal best in the field with 9:07.14 but her compatriot Lidya Chepkurui has ran the quickest during 2013 thanks to her new personal best of 9:13.75.