Kenya's world and Olympic 3000m steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto has tested positive for coronavirus and will miss next week's Monaco meeting ©Getty Images

Conseslus Kipruto, Kenya’s world and Olympic 3,000 metres steeplechase champion, has been ruled out of next week’s meeting in Monaco after testing positive for COVID-19.

Kipruto, who had been planning to kick-start his season with a sub eight-minute run at the Stade Louis II next Friday (August 14), revealed his setback to Kenyan paper Nation Sport today, a day after completing his final speed work at the St Francis Chepterit High School track.

It is the second high-profile COVID-19 case in athletics in the space of a week following the news on August 1 that Wayde Van Niekerk, Olympic champion and world record holder in the 400m, had tested positive – although the South African’s manager has since said it was a "false positive."

Kipruto, 25, was among 15 Kenyan athletes who had been cleared to compete in the Monaco leg of the pandemic-affected Wanda Diamond League programme after getting special dispensation visas to travel to the Schengen area.

Conseslus Kipruto's positive testing for coronavirus follows the COVID-19 positive announced last week for Olympic 400m champion Wayde Van Niekerk - although the latter has now been labelled a
Conseslus Kipruto's positive testing for coronavirus follows the COVID-19 positive announced last week for Olympic 400m champion Wayde Van Niekerk - although the latter has now been labelled a "false positive" ©Getty Images

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

But the athletes were cleared to travel after Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed and Athletics Kenya President Jack Tuwei intervened on their behalf at the Embassy of France in Nairobi.

Kipruto disclosed that he was tested on Thursday at Eldoret’s Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and the results turned out positive.

"It's indeed sad that the test came back positive," he told Nation Sport.

"I don't know where I got it because I have been following the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health.

"I am in contact with officials from the hospital and I'm waiting for them to give me the way forward.

"I don't feel any {symptoms} for now."

Kipruto was expected to line up in the steeplechase alongside compatriots Abraham Kibiwott and Vincent Kipchumba, a pacesetter.

Earlier in the week he had announced: "I will be using the race to gauge my performance as I prepare to lower the world record time which has been out of the country for a long time."

The world record was set in 2004 by Kenya-born Qatari Saif Saaeed Shaheen - formerly known as Stephen Cherono – at 7min 53.63sec.

Kipruto was one of four world champions among the 15 Kenyan athletes due to compete in the Principality, along with 5000m runner Hellen Obiri, steeplechaser Beatrice Chepkoech and 1500m specialist Timothy Cheruiyot.

The remaining athletes in the group, excluding Kipruto, are expected to travel to Monaco on Monday having undergone COVID-19 tests 72 hours beforehand.