The Wanda Diamond League returns Friday night, with Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo set to battle it out again with Ethiopian rival Yomif Kejelcha in the men's 5,000m.

Louis II Stadium in Monaco will be the centrestage as the world's top athletes carry on with their journey towards the grand finale in September.

World half marathon record holder and champion Kiplimo will come into tonight's race having already qualified for the Budapest 2023 World Championships for this event.

But the New York Marathon 2023 winner will face tough competition in the form of fellow renowned stars such as Ethiopian duo Kejelcha and Haile Bekele Telahun.

Canadian Ahmed Muhammad and Kenya’s Martin Kimeli are also expected to put up a fight.

It is a little over a month since Kiplimo and Kejelcha produced a stunning photo finish in Oslo, with the Ethiopian narrowly taking the day.

Tonight's race carries so much promise of a replay of that scintillating June 15 contest at Bislett Stadium.

Already in Monaco, Kiplimo told New Vision he is thrilled to feature among some of the world’s best runners.  

“I think what I need to do is focus on myself and give Monaco everything I have before I return to Uganda to focus on Budapest,” he said.

In his last three track competitions, no athlete has finished with a better time than the 22-year-old.  

Before Oslo, his last track races were the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 5,000m and 10,000m contests, which he won.

Kiplimo's country resident coach, Peter Chelangat, is optimistic that the long-distance runner "has trained enough to produce a good race at the Monaco Diamond League".  

The Wanda Diamond League is a premier one-day meeting series in athletics, comprising 14 events in global track and field.  

Athletes are competing for points at the 13 series meetings in a bid to qualify for the two-day Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene on September 16-17.