A world class field is assembled for the 1500-meter race at the Oslo Diamond League meet, set to go off this Thursday at 3:50 p.m. est. The field includes eight of the 1500-meter finalists at last year’s World Championships, two of last year’s Commonwealth Games 1500-meter medalists, and all three of the Olympic Medalists from the 1500-meter final in the Tokyo Olympics.
Citius Mag released the full start list on Twitter.
The Major Contenders of the Field
Jakob Ingebrigtsen is the headliner for this event. The Olympic Champion is coming off of a dominant 2-mile world record last week at the Paris Diamond League meet. The Norwegian will also be racing in front of his home crowd in Oslo, Norway. However, he will certainly have his hands full with the lineup in pursuit.
Timothy Cheruiyot has also proven to be one of the best 1500-meter runners in the world, being the 2019 World Champion and 2020 Olympic Silver Medalist. His tendencies to push the pace up front typically lead to a “barnburner” type of race.
The Olympic medalist Josh Kerr will be making his season opener in the 1500 meters. The Brit always seems to be there with a lap to go. He has the explosive kick to match anybody in the field.
Mohammed Katir is coming off of a blistering 5000-meter performance in Florence. He won in 12:52 over one of the deepest fields ever assembled. He is clearly proven to be competitive with the best in the world. Especially when his World Bronze Medal in the 1500 meters last year is taken into account.
Yared Nuguse is the lone American of the field. He exploded onto the scene this year during the Indoor season. Nuguse ran American records of 3:47 in the indoor mile, and 7:28 in the indoor 3000 meters during that season. He was only a few meters back of Ingebrigtsen in the Rabat Diamond League 1500 meters a few weeks ago. Nuguse also beat Katir indoors over 1500 meters at Madrid World Indoor Tour earlier this year. It will be interesting to see how far up his lethal kick can put him in this field.
There are several other athletes coming into this meet with impressive PBs and major international performances. With it being relatively early in the season, anything could happen. There are quite a few other athletes who could be in good form already and ready to make a push for the win.
How could the Competition play out?
The fascination in the 1500-meter race this Thursday is not just in how fast the athletes may run, but in the way that the race may play out.
As exciting as records are, the most exhilarating part of the 1500 meter is the dramatic racing that unfolds. Athletes with a wide range of skill sets can be lethal over the distance.
There is quite an array of skill sets that make up this field. Timothy Cheruiyot and Jakob Ingebrigtsen are known to push the pace up front in order to grind athletes down. While Yared Nuguse and Mohammed Katir are both known to have explosive kicks, which could make for a blistering last lap.
The race is likely to go fast, as most Diamond League meets do. However, with the loaded field that is set for Thursday, there is a good chance of major upsets and dramatic racing.
A Preview for the Championship Season
This race contains eight of the World finalists from last year’s World Championships. Given this, it is likely that it will provide a preview of this year’s World Championship 1500-meter final in Budapest.
With it being June, the Summer circuit has finally arrived. This signals that many athletes are beginning to move towards their peak form as they prepare for the Championship racing of July and August. It means that a hard effort is likely on deck for the race this Thursday
The excitement of a field like this racing in June cannot be downplayed. It is going to be a show of some of the best in the world at the 1500-meter distance. Not every year includes a race this early with such an elite field of athletes.
It will likely take an all-time performance to win in this field of Commonwealth, World, and Olympic Medalists.
Stay tuned for further professional Track & Field content, including meet previews, race analysis, and season projections.
Featured image courtesy of Marta Gorcyznska.
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- Source: https://thegamehaus.com/sports/world-class-1500-meter-field-set-to-race-at-oslo-diamond-league-meet/2023/06/13/
