World Indoor 800m champion Pamela Jelimo and former Olympic 3,000m steeplechase bronze medalist Paul Kipsiele Koech will lead a galaxy of Kenya stars to Shanghai's leg of the Diamond League on May 18.
Kipsiele has been training hard and will have a run at the Kenyan championships in Nairobi on Friday.
"For Jelimo, she too has been training in Nairobi and she is keen to shake off the cobwebs from a long layoff and put her focus on the Diamond League. She is debuting this season in Shanghai," said athletes' agent with Golazo Sports Barnaba Korir.
Jelimo has since recovered from exhaustion and tactical error that saw her comeback and defence of the Olympic title end in tatters at the London Games.
"I feel good. I want to run again and I believe it will end up well for me. It has been hard to get to the optimum best level for me after the injury. But I have gone through it and now look forward to another season," said Jelimo Wednesday in Nairobi.
Challenge from world champion Mariya Savinova of Russia, compatriot Janeth Jepkosgei and a horde of other top stars, might trigger Jelimo to hit her top gear early, with a possible 1:58 minutes run.
For Kipsiele, after missing out on his second attempt to get into the Kenya Olympic team, the World Championships in Moscow, bears the most realistic chances for the 32-year-old steeplechaser.
He knows he is getting older and the younger generation are running even faster. To make the Kenya team to Moscow is his ultimate target.
"Both Kipsiele and Jelimo are hungry for success at the World Championships. It will be their first. Pamela never got a medal in Berlin (2009) or Diego (2011). But it is Kipsiele who is in dire need. He is not getting younger and he needs it to boost his career," said Korir.
Another top athlete represented by Golazo is World Championships and Olympic bronze medallist Milcah Chemos, who will be running in Doha on May 10.
The Shanghai leg will be the second Diamond League meeting of 2013 and takes place on May 18. Organizers have confirmed that they will stage 16 events this year.
The men's events include the 200m, 400m, 1500m, 3000mSC, 110m hurdles, high jump, long jump, discus throw and javelin throw. For the women, the 100m, 800m, 5000m, 400m hurdles, pole vault, triple jump and shot put are on the program.
The first Diamond League, which blasts out of its blocks on May 10 in Doha, Qatar, will gauge the athletes' preparedness ahead of the World Championships.
The IAAF Diamond League, which is entering its fourth season, is comprised of 14 of the best invitational track and field meetings in the world.
The meetings are spread across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States, and are the top tier of the IAAF's global one-day meeting competition structure.
This series of 14 meetings, each offering prize money of 480,000 U.S. dollars showcases 32 event disciplines, which are carefully distributed amongst the meetings.
In each of the 32 event disciplines there is a 'Diamond Race' with points available throughout the 14-meeting season.
Each of the 32 event disciplines is staged seven times with the top three athletes being awarded the same amount of points at each meeting with the exception of the final where the points are doubled.
The overall winner of each of the 32 Diamond Races will receive a 40,000 U.S. dollars cash prize and a spectacular Diamond Trophy created by Beyer, one of the oldest and most respected jewelers in the world.
Combine the individual meeting prize money with the Diamond Race cash, and the IAAF Diamond League is offering a total of 8 million U.S. dollars in prize money in 2013.
