From Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin going head to head to Mo Farah looking to do the double, here’s the pick of the competition at the world championships
1 WOMEN’S HEPTATHLON
JESSICA ENNIS-HILL v KATARINA JOHNSON-THOMPSON
Despite being built up as Jess versus KJT in the UK, the Canadian Brianne Theisen-Eaton is the favourite for gold. But if Ennis-Hill has kicked on after her encouraging performances at the Anniversary Games, and Johnson-Thompson is over her injuries, they should be fighting for podium places.
2 MEN’S LONG JUMP
RUTHERFORD’S GRAND SLAM BID
Greg Rutherford is hoping to complete the set of Olympic, European, Commonwealth and world championship gold medals and while his distances haven’t been staggering in competition he has generally jumped well enough to top the Diamond League standings. Americans Jeff Henderson and Marquis Dendy are his main threats.
3 WOMEN’S 1500m/5,000m
GENZEBE DIBABA
Few athletes have attempted the 1500m and 5000m double at a major championships. But few have produced such jaw-dropping performances as the 24-year-old Dibaba. Last month she broke the world 1500m record set by Qu Yunxia, which many thought was both suspicious and unbreakable, and also set the fourth fastest 5,000m time. For Britain, Laura Muir should do well in the 1500m.
4 MEN’S 800m
AMOS v RUDISHA
This race used to be almost solely David Rudisha’s terrain but injuries have robbed the Kenyan of his top-end speed and he has lost his last six head-to-heads against Nijel Amos. Rudisha insists he is coming into form, though, and don’t discount the Bosnian Amel Tuka, the fastest man in the world this year, or Ayanleh Souleiman from Djibouti.
5 WOMEN’S 200m
ELAINE THOMPSON
With the 2012 Olympic champion Allyson Felix preferring to run the 400m, this opens the race right up. The American Candyce McGrone and the Dutch athlete Dafne Schippers will fancy their chances, but the one to watch could be the Jamaican Thompson. Britain’s 19-year-old Dina Asher-Smith will be looking to make the final.
6 MEN’S 100m
BOLT v GATLIN
Whatever you think about Justin Gatlin’s two doping bans – or the fact that he is running faster now, at 33, than ever before – his clash with Usain Bolt will be compelling viewing. Gatlin was last defeated over 100m in September 2013, and is unbeaten in 27 races over both 100m and 200m. Can Bolt, who has suffered a series of niggles in the past two years, show he’s still the world’s best?
7 MEN’S 200m
BOLT v GATLIN – THE REMATCH
All eyes will be on Bolt against Gatlin, although the feeling is that the Jamaican may have the edge over the longer distance. Look out for Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, 20, who Bolt has tipped to go far. His chances are helped by the decision of another 20-year-old, Andre de Grasse – to focus on the 100m and 4x100m relay.
8 MEN’S 4X100m RELAY
JAMAICA v USA
If there is tension between Bolt and Gatlin, that is nothing when it comes to Jamaica versus America in the sprint relays. In the world relays in the Bahamas in May, the Americans came out on top in the 4x100m, with Ryan Bailey doing a throat-slashing gesture after beating Bolt to the line. The Jamaicans will be out for revenge.
9 MEN’S 5,000m/10,000m
MO FARAH
Can Farah double up again at a major championships? He is the prohibitive favourite to do so. The question for his rivals is can they ensure the races don’t come to a last-lap charge. If they do, Farah should win. In the 10,000m the Kenyans Paul Tanui and Geoffrey Kamworor have the class to trouble him, while Caleb Ndiki would be a major threat in the 5,000m if he hadn’t missed most of the season with an injury.
10 MEN’S TRIPLE JUMP
TAYLOR v PICHARDO
Not the most glamorous event, but this year’s standard has been red hot, with the Cuban Pedro Pichardo and the American Christian Taylor both jumping twice over 18m to set the third, fourth, fifth and joint-sixth best jumps in history. A battle royale is on the cards in Beijing.
