NAIROBI, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Commonwealth Games champion Elijah Manangoi has downplayed the impact on his return to action saying he is focused on returning to his best form and not under pressure to dominate the Diamond League.
Manangoi, 27, will be among the lead athletes to return to formal action on June 11 in Nairobi when he takes part in a virtual race against Ingebrigtsen brothers, who will race in Oslo, Norway.
"This season is different from the others. The Diamond League will not culminate to see a winner and while I will compete in it, it will be for only to gauge my fitness," Manangoi said on Thursday in Nairobi after inspecting the Nyayo Stadium tartan, where he will take part in the virtual race.
"The focus I have since I returned from the knee injury is to be fit and ready for the Olympics, which have been rescheduled to 2021 in Tokyo. That is my target," he added.
The Norwegian athletes, dubbed Team Ingebrigtsen, which has brothers - Henrik, Filip and Jakob who are seasoned middle distance runners while 'Team Cheruiyot' has world 1,500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot, Manangoi and others as part of the Impossible Games meeting.
"I am in competition with no one. I run my own race. I have no desire to play the game of being better than anyone, in any way, shape, or form," Manangoi said. "I just aim to improve, to be better than I was before. That's me and I'm free."
Each of the two teams will start with five runners and finish with three. The squad with the best overall time for their three runners will win.
Last year, Manangoi failed to defend his world title at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar after pulling out with a nagging knee injury. However, after rehabilitation, the athlete said that was his worst experience in the sport.
"It was a bad season for me last year. I sustained a knee injury and it was a big blow for me because I could have gone to Doha and defend my title as well as represent my country but it was not meant to be. I am happy that I have come back much stronger with my focus being the Olympic Games," said Manangoi.
The former Africa champion, said winning gold at rescheduled Tokyo Olympics will be a major bonus to him after he failed to do so in Rio in 2016.
"Postponing Olympics was a blessing in disguise for me. I remember I lost in Rio and the following year I won a gold medal at the World Championships. So, I don't know but maybe my absence in Doha maybe a gold in waiting in Tokyo," he said. Enditem
