Barshim aiming to beat men's high jump WR in Oslo

The IAAF Diamond League Oslo meeting will be held at the Bislett Stadium on Thursday night and the focus of the 16-event competition will be on the star-studded men's high jump.

Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, the second-hightest jumper of all time wiht a 2.43-meter leap last season, is ready to shot at the world recond of 2.45m. The record was set 22 years ago by Cuba's Javier Sotomayor, who will be on the stand watching on the night.

The Qatari has already won his opening two IAAF Diamond League meetings this year whith efforts of 2.38m in China's Shanghai and 2.41m in Eugene, the United States.

Almost all big names in the event are competing at the occasion. China's Zhang Guowei, who jumped a personal best of 2.38m recently in Eugene, will be here. Russia's Olympic champion Ivan Ukhov, along with London Games silver and bronze medallists Erik Kynad of the United States and Canada's Derek Drouin also are here. So is the world champion Ukraine's Bogdan Bondarenko.

Another eye-catching event will be the women's 5,000m in which the Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba is aiming at the world record set in the same stadium by her elder sister Tirunesh in 2008.

Dibaba junior, who ran an outdoor personal best of 14 minutes 19.76 seconds at her last IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene, will meet opponents including fellow Ethiopian Gelete Burka, who has a best of 14:31.20, and Kenya's Viola Kibiwot, who has run 14:33.48.

Commenting on the task ahead, Dibaba said: "I will be paced to 2km then I will take over myself. The weather conditions are supposed to be perfect so I hope to take my sister's record."

This year 11 current Diamond race leaders compete across the 16 disciplines on show hoping to extend their overall leads.

Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor is a dangerous wild card in a men's long jump that also includes Britain's Olympic champion Greg Rutherford, who won in Birmingham on Sunday with an effort of 8.35m.

The field of the women's javelin will include Olympic champion and world record-holder Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic, and the world title winners Russia's Maria Abakumova and Christina Obergfoll of Germany.

Competing in the women's 100m are Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jamaica's double Olympic 200m champion, Cote d'Ivoire's world 100m and 200m silver medallist Muriel Ahoure. Also in the field is Carmelita Jeter of the United States, who has run 10.64, the second-fastest time ever, and is seeking to re-establish herself as the world No.1. Endi