Kenya's Kipyegon seeks to dominate at Campaccio cross country race in Italy

Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon of Kenya will face stiff challenge in her bid to win at the Campaccio Cross Country race in San Giorgi, Italy on Friday.

The event, which marks the third leg of the IAAF Cross Country Permit series, will see Kipyegon take on World Cross Country champion Agnes Tirop who is returning to form after two years of injury and Olympic 5,000m silver medalist Hellen Obiri.

"I feel good and have shelved my holiday season to train for this event. I want to compete at the World Cross Country in Kampala in March and these events will help gauge my performance and levels.

"It is crucial to do well in Italy, but also there will be stiff challenge especially from my colleagues Helen (Obiri) and Agnes (Tirop)," said Kipyegon in Nairobi.

Kipyegon will be making her first Campaccio appearance. The world 1,500m silver medalist won two world junior cross-country titles.

Kipyegon' s main rival will be Tirop, who became the youngest ever senior women' s winner at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang, China in 2015. She won the gold medal in Guiyang in 2015 at the age of 19.

Last weekend, the 21-year-old Kenyan won the Boclassic 5km road race ahead of Ethiopian runners Gelete Burka and Etenesh Diro, who will be also in the Campaccio line-up.

The impressive Kenyan trio is completed by Obiri, who took the Olympic silver medal in the 5000m in Rio, the 2012 world indoor 3000m title in Istanbul and the 2013 world 1500m bronze medal in Moscow. Endit