'The field at the AG Insurance Memorial Van Damme looks stronger than the Olympic final. In global championships only three Kenyars are allowed to compete, in Brussels there is a Kenyan army on the starting line. The last two World Champions and the second, third and fourth all time performers on the distance will stand next to me tomorrow. One thing is for sure : the athlete who wins this race must be a true champion', said Mekhissi with a big smile.
In Brussels Mekhissi takes up steeplechasing again after he became the European 1500m champion. It is Mekhissi’s first appearance on a Diamond League steeplechase competition this year where he faces Jairus Birech for the first time. Birech has already secured his Diamond Race win. 'I have been observing all the competitors in the steeplechase with big attention in the Diamond League races and this is the moment to beat them. It would be historic because in the past 30 years the Kenyans have won all steeplechases at Olympic Games and World Championships and in all the other important meetings in the world.'
'Whoever wins the race tomorrow will have a psychological advantage ahead of the World Championships in Beijing next year. I feel physically and mentally fit to beat the Kenyans here in Brussels. I don’t want to talk about running fast times because that depends on a number of factors. The weather conditions, the pacemaking and most of all the tactics of the Kenyans. Will they do their part to make it a fast race or will they just try to beat me tactically ?'
04 September, 2014
