Eyes on world leader Krop as Diamond League action concludes

World 5000m silver medalist Jacob Krop clocked a world lead time of 12:45.71 to win the men's 5000m and lower his life time best time by over a second at the penultimate Wanda Diamond League (DL) event in Brussels. 

The time moved the Kenyan to sixth on the world all-time list and all eyes will be on him when he goes up against some strong opposition in Zurich for the final set for Wednesday 7 September. 

Krop is looking to build on his Brussels performance where he recorded the fastest time in the world so far this year to beat USA’s Grant Fisher and compatriot Nicholas Kimeli who will both be on the start line in Zurich. 

In the absence of the two men that denied Krop glory in Oregon at the World Championships and at the Commonwealth Games in Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Jacob Kiplimo respectively, toughest opposition for the Kenyan comes from his countrymen led by the club games' silver medalist Kimeli and the Ethiopian quartet.

The two-day event will see 32 champions crowned with wildcard entries to the World Athletics Championships next year in Budapest up for grabs. 

The day's competition will see the first six titles secured on Sechselautenplatz, one of the city’s most famous squares on the shore of Lake Zurich. 

A temporary track and arena will host both shot put competitions and 5000m finals as well as the women’s pole vault and men’s high jump.

Man of the moment in Brussels 5000m, Krop, sets world leading time

Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi who won last year’s title on the city centre course and a few months later he further proved his road race strength, setting a world 5km record of 12:49 in Barcelona at the end of the year poses a real threat. 

His Diamond League campaign this season has included a win in Eugene in May was well as a runner-up finish over 3000m in Monaco, where victory was claimed by Burundi’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo in a world-leading PB and Diamond League record of 7:25.93. 

Other Diamond League meeting winners this season were Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega and Telahun Haile Bekele, plus South Sudan’s Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu, and others joining them in the final include Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha and Kenya’s Cornelius Kemboi as well as Germany’s Maximillian Thorwirth.

Additional reporting by World Athletics