Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon will have to fight off a stiff competition from Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba and the Netherlands' world indoor champion Sifan Hassan in the 1,500 metres race at the London World Championships starting Thursday.
Kipyegon will be among the six women who have run faster than 4:00.00 this season, eyeing the world title in London. This makes the four-lap race one of the most competitive events of the championships, reports Xinhua news agency.
The favourites are the top three on the world list, all with sub-3:58 clocking in 2017 -- and all have proven themselves as prolific major championship racers.
Kipyegon and Hassan have won two IAAF Diamond League meetings each this season.
Kipyegon triumphed in Shanghai and Eugene in Rome and Paris, while Dibaba, who may not be in 3:50.07 world record form of two years ago, has clocked 3:57.82 en route to her 4:16.05 mile victory at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Lausanne last month.
Other likely contenders include Sweden's Meraf Bahta, Ethiopians Besu Sado, and 18-year-old world Under-20 silver medallist Fantu Worku, Morocco's Rababe Arafi, and Poland's Angelika Chichocka, who won the IAAF Diamond League Meeting in Rabat.
--IANS
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