Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot, will tussle with Ethiopia's double Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba in the two-mile race at the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham on Saturday with Ethiopian Meseret Defar's world record of 9:06.26 minutes in their sights.
Cheruiyot, the world outdoor 5,000m champion, is also focused on breaking the current 3,000 indoor record of 8:23.72 set by Defar three years ago.
The 26-year-old has opted to skip the cross country season to focus on the indoor circuit, which will culminate to the World Indoor Championship set for Doha, Qatar next month.
"I have just completed my preparations. I leave certain that I will triumph and God willing break the 3,000m record. I want this before heading to Doha," she said on Tuesday in Nairobi.
The Aviva Indoor Grand Prix meeting in Birmingham will the second last permit meeting in the IAAF circuit with the Meeting Pas de Calais in Lievin, France on March 5, being the only one remaining.
"Last year, I ran my personal best time in the race in Birmingham setting a time of 8:30. I like the track it is a good one and irrespective of who will be running, I want to do the best. I know Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia will be running, but I only think about myself."
Last year, Cheruiyot broke the Kenyan 3000 metres indoor record (8:30.53) in the same race in Birmingham and went on to win the World's Best 10km road race in Puerto Rico.
Now she eyes running under 8:30 in Birmingham and acknowledges, Ethiopians remain her main stumbling block to success.
"I feel comfortable at the moment and I want to attempt to set a new record in the indoor meeting in Birmingham. I fear nobody and I train to be fit not because of other people in the race," said Cheruiyot, then after winning the 8km race at the Kenya Police Championship in January.
Ethiopia' s Meseret Defar set the current record of 8:23.72 in Stuttgart, German in 2007. Defar has since failed in her attempt in Stuttgart to improve on her record when she posted 8:24.46 in an almost solo run on Feb. 6.
Cheruiyot also holds the 5000m Kenyan record (14:22.51), which she set at the Bislett Games in Oslo in June 2007 where she finished second behind Defar, who set the then 5000m world record 14:16.63.
Dibaba has since improved on the record to 14:11.15.
"I have just recovered from a toe injury that derailed me in Edinburgh recently. I want to attempt the world indoor record and I hope I will get it irrespective of the field that will be present," said Cheruiyot.
After the Birmingham race, Cheruiyot will focus the World Indoor Championship in Doha where she will be eying her first medal in the event.
AthleticsAFRICA.Com will bring you live updates from the Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham next Saturday 20th February. Stay Tuned.