Olympic champion Kipyegon takes on Genzebe in Ostrava

Kenya's Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon (R) celebrates winning the final of the women's 1,500m athletics event as South Africa's Caster Semenya (L) falls after crossing the finish line at the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium in London on August 7, 2017. Kenya's Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon won ahead of US athlete Jennifer Simpson and South Africa's Caster Semenya. [AFP PHOTO / ANTONIN THUILLIER]

After settling for another world record near-miss in the Brussels Diamond League on Friday, Kenya’s Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Kipyegon is set to resume her special rivalry with Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Ostrava, tomorrow.

Having finished just 17 hundredths of a second shot at last month’s opening Diamond League meeting in Monaco, Kipyegon seemed on track to achieve her ambition with 200 metres remaining but faltered slightly over the final few meters to cross the line in 2:29.92. 

The Kenyan now will return to her 1,500m speciality against Dibaba with hope of continuing her perfect start to Diamond League series at the Ostrava Golden Spike (Czech Republic).

“I’m happy with the win, the record didn’t come out as we had planned but I’m satisfied with my general performance, now I will concentrate on the next competition, the Ostrava meeting,” Kipyegon said on Saturday.

(LtoR) Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba (silver medal), Kenya's Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon (gold medal) and USA's Jennifer Simpson (bronze medal) pose during the podium ceremony for the women's 1500m of the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 17, 2016. [AFP PHOTO / Fabrice COFFRINI]

Meanwhile, double Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers and multiple world medallist Marie-Josée Ta Lou, will go head to head over 100m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha on September 25.

The three women have met at this meeting on two previous occasions. Thompson-Herah triumphed over 200m in 2017, clocking 22.19 into a -2.3m/s headwind with Schippers finishing second and Ta Lou placing third.

They clashed again one year later, this time over 100m, and Ta Lou came out on top, running 10.85. Thompson-Herah was third on that occasion and Schippers was sixth.