World 3,000m steeplechase champion Beatrice Chepkoech will not grace the opening leg of the 2020 Diamond League in Monaco on Friday.

The disclosure was made yesterday by her coach Gabriel Kiptanui who said the athlete needed more time to be ready fthe world record holder being among the 15 Kenyan athletes who late last week secured special dispensation visas to travel to the Schengen region for competitions.

Kenya is among countries whose nationals have not been cleared to travel into European Union nations owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The withdrawal of Chepkoech came before World and Olympics steeplechase Champion Conseslus Kipruto was forced out of the Monaco Diamond League after testing positive Covid-19 on Saturday.

Despite Chepkoech being hugely versatile, coach Kiptanui disclosed the athlete will not be returning to the Monaco’s Stade Louis II the scene of her world beating time two years ago.

“I am happy that Beatrice is among the few Kenyan athletes’ who got special clearance to travel to France for the diamond league. Unfortunately she will not be competing on Friday.

I have talked to her in length therefore I  know she is not ready to compete, “revealed Kiptanui.

“While she is a versatile athlete who can compete in other races besides steeplechase, she has opted to prepare for other coming diamond meetings in Europe.

But I think the main reason is that her event will not be there in Monaco,”added Kiptanui who is the head coach of Kericho Athletics Club.

Kiptanui who also doubles up as the Athletics Kenya (AK) Kericho district deputy chairman hinted Chepkoech will be ready for other upcoming meets in Stockholm, Lausanne, Brussels, London and Rome.

“Due to the challenges caused by the pandemic, Chepkoech just like most athletes took a while to start training.

That is understandable because with uncertainties on when the next race will be, it becomes more difficult to train with focus,” he added.

The 2019 Continental Cup winner, was absent at the Kericho Green Stadium last week as coach Kiptanui took slightly over 15 of his athletes through speed work in preparations for the athletics resumption.