Pitreavie’s Eilidh Child continues her build up to Glasgow 2014 with the toughest of tests at the Diamond League in Rome.
The Scottish 400m hurdles record holder faces a world class field, which includes Jamaica’s Kaliese Spencer (season’s best of 54.29), Georganne Moline (USA) and the Czech Republic’s Denisa Rosolova.
Child placed an encouraging third at the opening Diamond League of the year in Doha clocking 55.43 seconds.
The women’s 5,000m will be highlighted by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba, who dominated the indoor season with three world records in the 1,500m, 3,000m and two miles and the world indoor title.
However, she was beaten by Mercy Cherono and Almaz Ayana, a world silver and bronze medallists in Moscow, at the opening Diamond League of the year in Doha in the greatest women’s 3,000 metres race in history.
London Olympic finalists Julia Bleasdale and Jo Pavey line up in the world-class field, 40-year old Pavey having returned to the track following the birth of her child and recently setting a veteran world record of 15 minutes 11.52 seconds.
Cuban Sahily Diago, a rising 800m star holding the 2014 world lead of one minute 57.84 seconds, lines up against Kenyan stars Janeth Jepkosgei and Eunice Sum. Also competing in Rome is South African Caster Semenya, who upset the world winning the world title in Berlin and confirmed this win with two silvers in Daegu and London.
World 800m champion Mohamed Aman (Ethiopia) has been unbeaten for more than a year and won last year in the Rome Olympic Stadium with 1:43.61.
He will face Nijel Amos (Botswana), who beat the Ethiopian in London to win the Olympic silver with a world junior record.
The sprints feature World and Olympic champion 100m champion Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce (Jamaica), Justin Gatlin (USA) and Kim Collins (St Kitts & Nevis). Lashawn Merritt (USA) contests the 400m and Olympic champion Sally Pearson (Australia) the 100m hurdles.