Kenya's Obiri seeks fast time in Rome Diamond League quest

Olympic 5,000m silver medalist Hellen Obiri of Kenya aims to improve his personal best time when he lines up at the Rome Diamond League meeting on June 8

Obiri, 27, wants to peak at the right moment ahead of the World Championships in London and will be keen to accomplish her first challenge of the season at the Rome Olympic Stadium, which will be the fourth leg of the 2017 IAAF Diamond League.

"I started early my training and am watching carefully as I rise in fitness. It is important to peak at the World Championships and the Diamond League will give me a guide on how to moderate my training," she said.

However, Obiri, who won in Shanghai with a career best of 14:22.47 knows that she has a target that includes running fast this year.

But it will be a tall order as she will come up against a spirited Ethiopian challenge led by Genzebe Dibaba, the world 1,500m record holder and Almaz Ayana, the Olympic 10,000m title holder.

Ethiopian runners Genzebe Dibaba (1,500m) and Almaz Ayana (10,000m), who will clash in the women's 5,000m on the distance where Ayana narrowly missed the world record in last year's edition of the Rome Golden Gala.

This year's IAAF Diamond League has adopted a championship-style model whereby athletes earn points at the first 12 meetings to qualify for the two finals in Brussels and Zurich in September.

This year, the winners of each discipline in the finals will be crowned as IAAF Diamond League champions, earning a 50,000 U.S. dollars bonus and the Diamond Trophy. Endit