Cheptegei is one of six world record-holders at the Golden Spike meeting at the Městský Stadion, having set new marks of 12min 35.36sec and 26:11.00 for 5,000 and 10,000 metres last year.

"I believe it’s not untouchable," he said at the pre-event media conference when asked about the mark of 7:20.67 set by Kenya’s Daniel Komen in 1996.

"Seven twenty is not easy it’s one of the hardest records and that’s why it’s not been broken for the past 25 years, but I’ll run as fast as long as my legs will carry me."

The 1,500 fans allowed in the stadium under loosening COVID-19 restrictions will expect the 24-year-old Ugandan, whose current best for 3,000m is 7:33.26, to make a significant improvement on that having enlisted the help of Australia’s Stewart McSweyn - who has run 7:28 - as pacemaker.

The world 10,000m champion sharpened up last month by running a 1500m best of 3:37.36 at altitude in Kampala.

His rivals in the race will include the United States’ Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Paul Chelimo.

The other world record holders who will be in action are Sweden’s pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, Ethiopia’s 1500m specialist Genzebe Dibaba, the Czech Republic’s javelin thrower Barbora Spotakova, Poland’s hammer thrower Anita Wlodarczyk and triple jump world indoor record holder Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso.

Duplantis, who set his world record of 6.18 metres last season, will be seeking to improve upon his best clearance so far this year of 6.10m, with double world champion Sam Kendricks of the US for company.

Dibaba, who set the world 1500m record of 3:50.07 in 2015, will be favourite in her first race over that distance since August 2019.

Home fans will be keen to see how two-time Olympic champion Spotakova fares in the women’s javelin.

The 39-year-old had a best of 65.19m in 2020 and will be seeking to improve on the mark of 58.24m she recorded at the European Throwing Cup in Split.

But her world record of 72.28m may come under threat from Maria Andrejczyk, who opened her season with a Polish record of 71.40m in Split.

Wlodarczyk, who will be seeking a third successive Olympic title this summer, has a best this year of 73.87m and will have Alexandra Tavernier, who threw a French record of 75.38m earlier this year, as her main likely rival.

Zango, who lives and trains in France, where he set his indoor world mark of 18.07m, will face the two-time Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor of the US, who lives and trains in Austria.

Sha’Carri Richardson, the 21-year-old US sprinter who has clocked 100m wind-legal times of 10.72sec, 10.74 and 10.77sec already this season will seek to better 22 seconds for the first time over 200m against a field that includes double world champion Dafne Schippers of The Netherlands and Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare.

Elsewhere, Uganda’s 20-year-old world half marathon champion Jacob Kiplimo will open his season over 10,000m where his personal best of 27:26.68 looks due for serious revision.

Canada’s Rio 2016 Olympic 100m bronze medallist Andre De Grasse will face the 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin of the US in the men’s 100m.