Tomorrow’s Lausanne men’s 5,000m should give a good indication of who the favorites will be for August’s IAAF World Championships in Beijing. All races in the Diamond League circuit are fantastic, but this one comes with a little extra charge- defending 5k/10k World champion Mo Farah will run his first race since doping allegations surrounded the Nike Oregon Project on June 3rd, and additionally this may prove to be his toughest test in quite some time. The field he’ll face on Thursday in Switzerland will not differ much from the one he should expect to face in seven weeks in China. 

 

Farah pulled out of the Birmingham 1500m on June 7th to seek answers from his coach Alberto Salazar on the allegations, and has been hounded by the British media with questions about performance-enhancing drugs since then. Whether the 32-year-old has regained his focus to be able to compete with the best in the world shall be answered tomorrow. Even with the stressful last month that Farah has endured, he remains the favorite to win both events at World Champs, as no one beaten him in a championship race since 2011. 

 

It should be noted that the Lausanne 5k tomorrow will likely be run very differently than the World Championship final, as most championship races are run tactically, while Diamond League contests generally resemble time trials. These trends don’t always play out accordingly, but regardless, Lausanne will be the best preview of the Beijing 5k that we will have in 2015. 

 

Here’s a rundown of the field: 

 

Mo Farah, Great Britain, Age: 32 PR: 12:53.11 (2011)

 

 

Farah hasn’t run a Diamond League 5,000m in over two years, the last being a victory in the 2013 Birmingham 5k in 13:14. In that race, top Ethiopians Hagos Gebrhiwet and Yenew Alamirew played right into his hands by letting Farah dictate the pace throughout, and he was ultimately too strong for them in the last lap, a sight that’s been very common with Farah over the last four years.

 

That leg speed is still Farah’s biggest asset, but the question is do the East Africans still fear Farah like they did back then? So often his presence will make even sub-12:50 men wilt before him, but like we said it’s been so long since he’s raced this competitive of a 5k field that it’s not clear if this is still true. Farah was beaten by Gebrhiwet in the Doha 3k in May, so he is definitely not completely invincible.

 

Farah’s last race was the Prefontaine 10k on May 29th, which he won in a World-leading 26:50.97, just four seconds off his PR. On whether his 3k loss or his 10k victory serve as a better indicator of how he’ll fare tomorrow, the jury is out. Gebrhiwet, the only man to beat Farah on the track in over two years, will be in Lausanne. 

Hagos Gebrhiwet, Ethiopia, Age: 21 PR: 12:47.33 (2012)

 

Hagos Gebrhiwet is the only man to beat Mo Farah on the track since 2013

Gebrhiwet ran his ridiculous 12:47 PR back in 2012 as just an 18-year-old, and he added a World Championship silver medal in the 5,000m a year later at the old age of 19. It’s remarkable to think that Gebrhiwet is still only 21, because it feels like he’s been around forever. 

 

We haven’t seen a lot of the Ethiopian in 2015, he’s only raced three times, but when he has raced it’s been a quality result every time. Gebrhiwet was fourth at the World XC Championships in March, a brilliant display of strength for a guy that has as much speed as he does. Next was his victory over Farah at the Doha 3k in 7:38, followed by his close third place finish in the Rome 5k in 12:58. 

 

There isn’t much to go on, but there’s a lot to like about Gebrhiwet’s form heading into Lausanne. 

 

Caleb Ndiku, Kenya, Age: 22 PR: 12:59.17 (2014)

Ndiku dominated in 2014, but a knee injury has prevented him from racing so far in 2015

Caleb Ndiku had one hell of a 2014. He won the World indoor title in the 3,000m, then added the African and Commonwealth 5,000m crowns, and the overall Diamond Race title in the 5,000m. What has he done for an encore in 2015?

 

Nothing. Well, at least not yet. The 22-year-old Kenyan hasn’t raced at all in 2015 due to a knee injury that he suffered at the beginning of the year, so who knows how fit he is entering Lausanne. Regardless of how well he performs in Lausanne, his spot in in Beijing is guaranteed due to his Diamond Race title from 2014.

 

Yomif Kejelcha, Ethiopia, Age: 17 PR: 12:58.39 (2015)

Teenager Yomif Kejelcha has two major wins in 2015 at the Pre Classic and Rome 5,000m

The 17-year-old Kejelcha has been all the rage in the men’s 5,000m in 2015. I mean, he’s flippin 17 and has won two Diamond League races, that’s just plain stupid.

 

The 2014 World junior champion caught the attention of American fans with his stunning victory in the Pre Classic 5k, taking down Edwin Soi and Galen Rupp. Kejelcha proved that race was no fluke storming away from a very deep field in the last lap at Rome, winning in a world-leading 12:58.39. 

 

The kid has been impressive, but Lausanne will be his greatest test yet. If he can add Mo Farah and Caleb Ndiku to his list of scalps taken, then he will certainly be considered a threat for gold in Beijing. 

 

Muktar Edris, Ethiopia, Age: 21 PR: 12:54.83 (2014)

Muktar Edris ran the fastest time in the World last year (12:54), and was 3rd at 2015 World XC

Edris is another Ethiopian who has excelled on the track and in cross country in 2015, as he won the bronze medal at the World XC Championships (nine seconds ahead of Gebrhiwet), and won the Ethiopian 10k trials on June 17th. He was also sixth at the Rome 5k in 13:00.

 

The 21-year-old only has one career sub-13 5k, but that was his 2014 world leading 12:54.83 at Stockholm against Ndiku, Gebrhiwet, Longosiwa, and Rupp. This will be the deepest field he’s faced since then, so we’ll see if can thrive once again in a hostile race. 

 

Unlikely to win, but don’t forget about…

Thomas Longosiwa, Kenya, Age: 33 PR: 12:49.04 (2012)

Just because he’s nearly old enough to be Yomif Kejelcha’s father, don’t let that distract you from Thomas Longosiwa’s 5,000m ability. At 33, the Kenyan is still breaking 13 minutes and winning Diamond League races in 2015.

 

Longosiwa ran three Diamond League 5,000m races within the span of nine days back in June, finishing fifth at Rome in 12:59, winning Birmingham in 13:07, and then finally placing fourth at New York in a tactical 13:30. 

 

I know what you’re thinking. “This guy lost to Ben True and Nick Willis in New York, there’s no way he’s beating Farah and Ndiku.” You’re probably right, but Longosiwa owns an Olympic silver medal from 2012 and is still running fast so he at least belongs on this list. 

 

Edwin Soi, Kenya, Age: 29 PR: 12:51.34 (2013)

 

If you remember back to 2013, Edwin Soi was the guy who out-kicked Mo Farah to win the Pre Classic 5k that year. Soi went on to run the fastest time in the world in 2013, his 12:51 PR at Monaco.

 

Soi has been consistent, but not flashy since then, with his biggest win coming at last year’s Paris 5k in 12:59. He’s a sleeper for Lausanne because he’s only run 13:11 in 2015, but that was to finish runner-up to Kejelcha at Pre. 

 

Imane Merga, Ethiopia, Age: 26 PR: 12:53.58 (2010)

Merga hasn’t won a Diamond League 5k since 2011, but he is one of just five men to have broken 13:00 in 2015. 

Merga has one of the most impressive resumes in this field, as he won the World XC title back in 2011, won the bronze medal in the 10k at the 2011 World Championships, and earned the silver medal in his title defense at 2013 World XC. Additionally, the 26-year-old has run under 13 in the 5k on 11 separate occasions in his career. 

 

He gets a nod here because he was a close second to Edris at the Ethiopian 10k trials, and because of his 12:59 fourth place showing in Rome. 

 

PREDICTION: We've seen Mo Farah take down a field like this too many times to not pick him to win again. Even with all the distractions, Farah is fit and well rested for a quick finish in Lausanne. The field won’t know what to expect from him with his long layoff from racing, so he’ll command the pace like he has in the past. 

 

1. Mo Farah 13:02 2. Hagos Gebrhiwet 13:03 3. Yomif Kejelcha 13:05