15 July 2016 

Olympic and world champion Mo Farah (coach: Alberto Salazar) will continue his Rio preparations in Monaco this evening as he takes on three-time world champion Asbel Kiprop (KEN) over 1500m.

Farah has raced conservatively this year, his last competitive appearance coming at Birmingham’s Diamond League where he claimed the British 3000m record, previously held by David Moorcroft. In taking on current world-leader Kiprop, Farah will look to challenge his previous 1500m best, set at Monaco’s Diamond meet three years ago.

Joining Farah at the Herculis meet will be British champion Charlie Grice (Jon Bigg). The Brighton-based athlete set a personal best over one mile at Eugene’s Diamond meeting earlier this year and will be looking to maintain strong form heading into his first Olympic games in August. Abdalaati Iguider (MOR), bronze medallist from London 2012, will also compete in what is a stacked international field.

The men’s high jump looks to be one of the hotly-anticipated events of the evening as the best in Britain, Robbie Grabarz (Fuzz Caan) and Chris Baker (Sharon Heveran), take on world champion Derek Drouin (CAN), European champion Gianmarco Tamberi (ITA), Olympic silver medallist Erik Kynard (USA) and world-leader Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT).  

Grabarz will hope to distance himself from Drouin and Barshim this time around having shared Olympic bronze with the pair in 2012, whilst European bronze medallist Baker will look to build on the newly revised outdoor personal best set at the European championships last week.

Having enjoyed a great deal of success over 100m this year, James Ellington (Linford Christie) returns to the 200m field at the Stade Louis II. Churandy Martina (NED), Ellington’s victor over 100m last week in Amsterdam, and fellow sub-20 man Alonso Edward (PAN) will serve as stern competition to the Brit.  

Desiree Henry (Rana Reider) competes in her favoured 100m in a field with four sub-11 athletes, no doubt with ambitions of clocking a time within the ten second region herself.  Lane-side to Henry will be European champion Dafne Schippers (NED) and Tianna Bartoletta (USA), 4x100m Olympic gold medallist in 2012.

Eilidh Doyle (Malcolm Arnold) will return to her favoured 400m hurdles having played a key role in the British 4x400m gold victory in Amsterdam last week; she currently sits joint-second in the Diamond Race standings, with current race leader Cassandra Tate and world silver medallist Shamier Little (both of the USA) standing between the Scottish athlete and maximum points.

The women’s 800m will see Commonwealth silver medallist Lynsey Sharp (Rana Reider) pit herself against world leader Caster Semenya (RSA), Francine Niyonsaba (BDI) and Eunice Sum (KEN); Sum having edged out Sharp for Commonwealth gold in 2014.

Fresh from 5000m bronze glory in Amsterdam, Stephanie Twell (Mick Woods) will run in her first 3000m of the year at the Stade Louis II. Twell is British indoor champion over the distance and will look to make ground on her best of 8:42.75 set in 2010. Rosie Clarke (David Harmer) will join Twell over the distance. Now a 3000m steeplechaser having cut her competing teeth primarily over 800m/1500m, Clarke will hope to post a strong time in her first competitive outdoor 3000m race.

Holly Bradshaw (Scott Simpson) will test herself against some of the world’s best pole vaulters’ ahead of Rio, with competition coming from world champion Yarisley Silva (CUB) and South American record holder Fabiana Murer (BRA).

The only non-Diamond race of the evening will see five-time British champion Michael Rimmer (Jon Bigg) tackle 800m against some of the world’s best, including Nijel Amos (BOT) and Adam Kszczot (POL). In winning Olympic silver in 2012 Amos became the first Botswanian to win an Olympic medal, whilst Kszczot’s most recent glory came last year in Beijing with world silver.

Other international highlights include: Caterine Ibarguen (triple jump), Piotr Malachowski (discus), Valerie Adams (shot) and Marquise Goodwin (long jump).

More information on the Monaco Diamond League can be found here:

http://monaco.diamondleague.com/en/home/