NAIROBI, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Olympian Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya says she is strong enough to make an attempt on the 3,000m steeplechase world record at the Monaco Diamond League in July.
The Shanghai champion is the fourth woman in the world to have run below the nine minute mark time in the 3,000m steeplechase.
At the meeting in Shanghai, she won the event in a time of 9:07.27, synonymous with the best performance in the world this year.
The Kenyan holds a personal best time of 8:59.84 from Zurich in 2017 and knows she is close to chasing the world record.
The Commonwealth Games steeplechase silver medalist clocked a world-leading time in Shanghai Diamond League edging out compatriot Norah Jeruto to the title.
"I have had mixed results this season because we started too early. I missed the medal at the World Indoor in Birmingham in March but bounced back to win silver at the Commonwealth Games, which to many fans was a disappointment because Jamaican won the race," said Chepkoech on Friday in Nairobi.
The 27-year-old has also come close to winning medals at the London World Championships and the Olympics in Rio, finishing fourth on both occasions.
She feels energized to chase the world record this year with the Africa Championships in Asaba, Nigeria on August 1-5 being the only top competition remaining.
"The Diamond League will have no pressure as I expect to run fast with worries about the world championships. Monaco will be ideal ground to run world record and I believe have the potential to do just that," she added.
Organizers are anticipating both a world record and course record. Moroccan Habiba Ghribi holds the event record at 9:11.28 from 2015 while Bahraini Ruth Jebet is the world record holder at 8:52.78 set in Paris 2016.
World champion Mutaz Barshim is one of five winners from the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha whose participation in Monaco has been confirmed.
Winner of the Diamond League in 2017 and silver medalist at the last World Championships Timothy Cheruiyot will also run in Monaco.
Cheruiyot will compete in Eugene, Oregon in the United States this Saturday against world champion Elijah Manangoi.
