Obiri seeks victory in Eugene after Stockholm fall

World 5000m champion Helen Obiri will race in Eugene seeking to return to her imperious winning ways after an unfortunate fall led her to a 12th-place finish at the Stockholm Diamond League last month.

It represented Obiri’s first defeat in a major race in almost two years and the Commonwealth champion will be keen to impress in her first competitive appearance in Oregon.

Another Kenyan, Agnes Jebet Tirop won that race in Stockholm after clocking a World Leading time of 14:50.82.

“I was in a good shape but confusion and pushing led to the fall and I lost the pace with the leading team, now I’m ready to put that out of my mind,” said Obiri, who became the first ever athlete to win all the major athletics titles in the world when she clinched the World Cross Country championship at Aarhus 2019.

Her participation at the Eugene Diamond League forms part of preparations for the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar where her will be defending her 5000m global title.

She will come up against Jebet and five other Kenyans, also in the race is Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba with the second fastest time after Obiri.

The Eugene Diamond League will witness the return of Olympic and the World 1500m Faith Chepng’etich from a two year maternity leave.

In the women’s 3000m Steeplechase World record holder Beatrice Chepkoech will lead seven more Kenyans