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Wanyonyi, Lilian Odira, and Kenya’s big stars line up for Rabat Diamond League
30th May, 2026 02:28 PM
A host of Kenyan athletes are set to light up the third leg of the Wanda Diamond League meeting this season as action returns to Africa on Sunday, May 31, 2026.
Reigning world and Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi and her 800 m compatriot Lilian Odira will be among the big names for the competition assembled at the Mohammed VI d’Athlétisme, in Rabat, for the event that will feature 14 primary disciplines alongside local showcases.
Quest for glory
Emmanuel Wanyonyi will open his 2026 800m season on Sunday evening, May 31, 2026 at the Moroccan leg of the Diamond League. The Olympic champion over 800 m is fresh from proving his range this year, marking a 3:34.11 PB over 1500 m at the Kip Keino Classic, and will be back at his specialty against a star-studded lineup.
Also starting her year will be Lilian Odira, the reigning world champion in the women’s 800m. Odira opened her campaign at the Kip Keino Classic, finishing second in the two-lap race on April 24, 2026, in Nairobi. She now faces a much more stacked and competitive field comprising Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma (PB: 1:56.61), Audrey Werro (PB: 1:55.91), Sage Hurta-Klecker (PB: 1:55.89), and South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso.
The Migori-born athlete previously clocked 1:54.62 to capture global gold in Tokyo. Odira’s Diamond League debut came in 2025 in Silesia, where she timed 1:56.52 behind Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson, who took victory in a new indoor 800m world record of 1:54.74.
The Rabat leg will also see Kenya’s next generation of athletes test their mettle against the world’s best. Young duo Caren Chepchirchir and Nancy Jepngetich will make their highly anticipated Diamond League debuts, lining up for the women’s 1500m.
Teenagers on show
The teenage pair are fresh from qualifying for the World Under-20 Championships, showcasing their promise as some of Kenya’s brightest young talents.
What a time it will be for them to prove themselves against famed Diamond League opposition, including Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, Freweyni Hailu of Ethiopia, and Laura Muir.
Meanwhile, Rabat will also play host to a fierce contest in the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase on Sunday, May 31, 2026.
The Kenyan trio of former U20 world champion Edmund Serem, Simon Kiprop Koech, and Abraham Kibiwot will line up to face the celebrated Moroccan star Soufiane El Bakkali.
Other stars in the lineup include Frederik Ruppert (Germany), Salah Eddine Ben Yazide (Morocco), Samuel Firewu (Ethiopia), Daniel Arce (Spain), Djilali Bedrani (France), and the reigning world champion, Geordie Beamish of New Zealand.
Serem, who claimed bronze at the World Championships in Tokyo in September 2025, will hope to edge out Beamish, who claimed gold in 8:33.87, and Morocco’s El Bakkali, who clocked 8:33.90 for silver. The race is scheduled to kick off at 10:46 PM.
