SA’s Scott-Efurd and Tshite in action in Doha
SA duo in action in Doha Diamond League
JOHANNESBURG, May 28 (ANA) – South Africa will be represented in two middle-distance events at the second leg of the World Athletics Diamond League series in Doha, Qatar, on Friday night.
National champion Tshepo Tshite will turn out in the men’s 800m race, as he takes on a world-class field in his specialist event.
He is up against World Championship silver medallist Amel Tuka of Bosnia, as well as a Kenyan trio including Ferguson Rotich, Wycliffe Kinyamal and Cornelius Tuwei.
In the final event on the main programme, in-form athlete Dominique Scott-Efurd will line up in the women’s 3 000m race.
Scott-Efurd will also face a strong field which is headlined by two-time 5 000m world champion Hellen Obiri of Kenya.
Obiri will be the favourite in the event she won at last year’s Doha Diamond League meeting, and she’ll be up against world 5000m silver medallist Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi and 2017 world cross-country bronze medallist Lilian Rengeruk. All three Kenyan women have set their 3000m PBs in Doha.
In the men’s 1500m, Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot has dominated on the Diamond League circuit in recent years, he has yet to win at the Doha meeting. He hopes to rectify that on Friday, though, when he takes on the lines of Australian record-holder Stewart McSweyn, world indoor champion Samuel Tefera, Ugandan record-holder Ronald Musagala and world indoor 3000m bronze medallist Bethwell Birgen.
The women’s steeplechase features the top five finishers from the World Championships, led by a world champion and world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman