Daniel Munguti during training/ HANDOUT

The 2023 national 1,500m champion, Daniel Munguti, is hoping to ignite his Diamond League campaign in style by storming to 3,000m victory in Shanghai on May 16.

Munguti opened his track season with a podium finish over 1,500m at the Kip Keino Classic on April 24, slicing through the line in 3:36.21. He trailed world and Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi (3:34.11) and world 1,500m bronze medallist Reynold Cheruiyot (3:34.73).

Before that, Munguti had tested his endurance on the cross-country circuit. He was part of Kenya's mixed relay squad at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee on January 10, where, alongside Cheruiyot, Winfred Mbithe and Purity Chepkirui, the quartet finished fourth in 22:42. Munguti then returned to the podium at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Tour on February 14, clocking 5:53 in the men's 2km race behind Cheruiyot (5:52).

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The 31-year-old revealed that Shanghai will mark the start of his global campaign. "I will start my Diamond League campaign in Shanghai, I will be doing the 3,000m," Munguti said.

The distance ace revealed he opted for the 3,000m as a measure of endurance while mapping out a clear route toward booking his place at the Commonwealth Games. "I decided to do the 3,000m to test my endurance. After that, I will run the 800m then go back to my normal 1,500m before the Commonwealth trials," he added.

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Munguti, however, downplayed talk of stepping up to the 5,000m anytime soon. "At the moment I can't shift to the 5,000m, I want to perfect myself in the 1,500m, then move to the higher distance," he noted.

He believes the Kip Keino showdown provided the ideal launchpad for his international season, though he admitted there is still work to do on his finishing speed. "I am not happy with my time, but it was a season opener, so it was important to gauge where I am," he said. "I am going to work on my speed to chop off a few seconds."

Munguti was also quick to underline the fierce quality of the 1,500m field at the Kip Keino meet. "The race had a lot of tension. All the middle-distance athletes were there, and anyone would have won that race. It was very tough."