Holmes' chance for revenge on Mutola

Kelly Holmes makes her Golden League debut in tonight's Herculis meeting in Monaco, hoping she has finally conquered the virus which has virtually halted her season.

The Olympic bronze medallist takes on Maria Mutola, the winner of their 800 metres meeting in Sydney, after returning to competition less than a fornight ago. Since then, Holmes has clocked 2min 0.54sec when winning in Madrid and won the British trial in Birmingham last Sunday. "After suffering for weeks from body fatigue syndrome I am still a very tired person," she said. "Even before travelling to Birmingham I felt worn out."

In Monaco, Colin Jackson returns to action after missing last Friday's Golden League meeting in Oslo. The winner of the first meeting in Rome, the Welshman was fourth a fortnight ago in Paris and the opposition tonight will be just as strong.

The Olympic 1500m champion, Noah Ngeny, and the world's fastest women marathon runner, Tegla Loroupe, have been dropped from Kenya's team for the World Championships. The decision follows an ultimatum to all Kenyan athletes on the European circuit to return home by Thursday or be left out of the squad.

Russia will be without four top athletes at the World Championships. Three are injured, but the biggest absentee will be Yuri Borzakovsky – the brilliant young 800m runner who has yet to announce why he is not travelling. Irina Privalova, the Olympic 400m hurdles champion, is missing – as are Svetlana Masterkova, the 1996 Olympic 800m and 1500m champion, and the 1999 50km walk world champion, German Skurygin.