Conseslus Kipruto eyes world record

Olympic and World 3,000m champion Conseslus Kipruto plans to go for the World Record in this season's Diamond League leg in Rabat or Monaco.

Kipruto, who was named the 2017 Sportsman of the Year during the Sports Personality of Year Awards (Soya) Gala on last Wednesday, said he wants warm up with a maiden victory at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games due April 4-15 in Australia.

Rabat event goes down July 13 followed by Monaco on July 20.

Kipruto has a personal best of 8 minutes and 00.12 seconds set on June 5, 2016 at Birmingham's leg of the Diamond League, while Kenyan born Saif Saeed Shaheen of Qatar holds the WR of 7:53.63 set on September 3, 2004 in Brussels.

"I had a good season in 2017 even though my attempt to go for the WR failed again after the injury I sustained during the World Championships trials in Nairobi," said Kipruto.

"I still won my first World title even though I had the pain after I twisted by ankle at the trials."

Kipruto won his third Diamond League Series trophy last year after previous success in 2013 and 2016. Kipruto posted some of the fastest times last year of 8:04.63 and 8:04.73 in Rome and Brussels respectively.

"The record has stayed for long and I thinks it time for someone to lower it," said Kipruto, who has also set his sights to winning the continental title during the Africa Senior Athletics Championships on August 1-5 in Assaba, Nigeria.

Victory will see Kipruto, the 2013 Moscow and 2015 Beijing World 3,000m steeplechase silver medallist, earn a ticket for the Continental Cup (World Cup) planned for September 8-9 in Ostrava, Czech.

“I am yet to take part in these events including the Commonwealth Games and it will be my dream winning all these before my World title defence next year. There is no big or event for me,” said Kipruto, who said winning the Sportsman of the Year award for the first time has inspired him.

“I thank God for everything.”