01.03.2010

Olympic champion takes his mark for Melbourne

Olympic 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop (KEN) has added his name to the star cast of international athletes set to step out at the Melbourne Track Classic at Melbourne Olympic Park this Thursday night.  

The 20-year-old Kenyan, who took out the Olympic 1500m crown in Beijing in 2008 and placed fourth in the same event at the world championships in Osaka in 2007 and Berlin in 2009, will on Thursday night headline one of the strongest 1500m fields to have assembled in Melbourne since the 1956 Olympic Games.

Joining Kiprop in the action this Thursday night will be reigning Commonwealth champion and Olympic silver medallist Nick Willis (NZL), fellow Kenyan Collins Chemboi, Australian national 1500m champion Jeff Riseley, Australian Flame representative Jeremy Roff and Beijing Olympian Mitchell Kealey.

After a heart-stopping 1500m at the Sydney Track Classic on Saturday night that saw New South Wales young gun Ryan Gregson post a new personal best, meet record and Commonwealth Games A-qualifying time to take out the event ahead of Australian Flame teammate Collis Birmingham, the stage is set for a second scintillating showdown when Kiprop step out at Melbourne Olympic Park.

With a personal best time of 3:31.20 over 1500m the Kenyan will start hot favourite at the Melbourne meet, as he reprises his battle with Beijing Olympics runner-up Nick Willis and takes on Australia’s leading middle distance men.

In addition to his Olympic and two world championships appearances, Kiprop’s resume is highlighted by his win at the IAAF world junior cross country championships in Mombasa (KEN) in 2007 and second place over 1500m at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart (GER) in 2008.

An accomplished athlete over distances from 800m to 3000m on the track and with success on the world cross country stage also to his name, Kiprop is one of the most exciting talents to emerge out of Africa in recent years and one of the foremost names on the international athletics circuit.

Kiprop joins a strong cast of overseas athletes en route to Melbourne for the IAAF-sanctioned Melbourne Track Classic, with dual Olympic medallist David Neville (USA, 400m), Kenyan 800m gun David Rudisha, former world champion Tero Pitkamaki (FIN, javelin throw) and world and Olympic shot put champion Valerie Vili (NZL, shot put) to lead a quality international contingent into battle this Thursday night.

Also in action at Melbourne Olympic Park will be world and Olympic pole vault champion Steve Hooker (pole vault), world discus champion Dani Samuels (discus throw), world championships long jump bronze medallist Mitchell Watt (long jump), Olympic 100m hurdles silver medallist Sally McLellan (100m/200m) and all of the biggest names in Australian athletics.

Melbourne Track Classic: Melbourne Olympic Park – Thursday, March 4
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