Kipketer for Gateshead

The World 800 metres champion, Wilson Kipketer, will complete his Olympic preparations at the Norwich Union Classic at Gateshead's International Stadium next month.

The World 800 metres champion, Wilson Kipketer, will complete his Olympic preparations at the Norwich Union Classic at Gateshead's International Stadium next month.

Having already broken the world indoor 1000m record at Birmingham earlier this year, Kipketer is the strong favourite to take a gold medal in the 800m at the Olympic Games in Sydney in September.

Hicham El Guerrouj plans to follow in the footsteps of three illustrious British milers at the Bislett Games Golden League meeting tonight - he aims to emulate Seb Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram by breaking the world mile record at the historic Bislett Stadium, the venue for 61 world records.

El Guerrouj already holds the world record for the mile as well as the records for 1500m and 2000m, and the one blemish in a marvellous career was not his fault. The 25-year-old Moroccan tripped and fell at the bell in the 1996 Atlanta 1500m final, a mishap that still rankles.

He is an overwhelming favourite for the 1500m title at the Olympics and tomorrow's Dream Mile is one further step on the route to his ultimate dream. "I think only of gold," he said. "Never silver."

The third of the season's seven Golden League meetings has attracted 60 medallists from the previous European and World Championships and the Olympic Games. Marion Jones is not competing, but the world 100m champion, Gail Devers, who set a year's best of 12.47sec in the United States trials, will be there.