Kenyan steeplechaser Jairus Birech (© Getty Images)
This event stars Diamond Race winner and African champion Jairus Birech. The 21-year-old Kenyan shot up to 10th on the world all-time list with his winning time of 7:58.41 at the recent IAAF Diamond League final in Brussels.
Evan Jager and Matt Hughes from the Americas team both rank among the top 15 steeplechasers this season. In that same race in Brussels, Jager broke his own North American record with 8:04.71.
This event will be missing in-form French steeplechaser Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, who was disqualified at the European Championships for taking off his vest before the finish line.
Instead, the European team includes world finalist Ivan Lukyanov, who this season has changed his citizenship from Moldovan to Russian.
Natalia Maryanchik for the IAAF
