Five People to Watch in the IAAF World Championships
By Dean Watkins
We are less than a year away from the Olympics in Rio, and beginning Saturday in Beijing, track and field’s best compete in the 15th edition of the IAAF World Championships. Here are five key athletes competing in China that we will see again competing for gold next year.
Usain Bolt
Individual events: 100 meters, 200
Can we begin to talk about the sport and not mention his name? Since Bolt won his first Olympic gold in 2008, he has not been defeated at a major championship (World Championships & Olympics), except for his false start in the 100 meters at Daegu. However, by his standards, Bolt’s best times this year have been subpar (9.87 100m, 20.29 200m), and have some in the track world wondering if his time as the world’s fastest man has ended.
Justin Gatlin:
Individual events: 100, 200
For the first time in years, there is a worthy challenger for Usain Bolt. Gatlin, the last man to win Olympic gold before Bolt (2004 Olympic champion), is unbeaten this year (he has not lost an individual race since 2013), and he ran six of the seven fastest 100 times last year while Bolt watched on the sidelines injured for the majority of 2014.
However the recent focus has not been on Gatlin’s exploits on the track but instead his dope-filled history off it. The former Olympic champion has missed a combined five years for doping after being busted twice. Gatlin insists that he is clean and looks forward to bringing the world’s fastest man title back to the United States.
Allyson Felix
Individual events: 400
One of the most decorated champions and versatile athletes to ever hit the track, the three-time world champion and reigning Olympic 200 champion, will just be focusing on the 400 this championship. With former Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross not in the field, Felix’s main competition will come from two-time world champion and 2008 Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu of Britain. The 31-year-old will be seeking to be the first woman to ever claim the world title three times in the event.
Mo Farah
Individual events: 5,000, 10,000
The biggest name in middle distance looks to remain dominant as he chases his third consecutive world title at 5,000, and second in a row at 10,000. Farah, at 32, is still expected to be the favorite as he holds off younger competitors, some more than 10 years his junior.
However the Somalia native and now British national has been in the news for the wrong reasons because doping allegations have been directed at his coach, Alberto Salazar. Farah has denied the claim and maintains his innocence.
Jessica Ennis-Hill
Individual events: Heptathlon:
The darling of British athletics returns to the global stage after taking time off to have a baby. She stole the show in the 2012 Olympics by winning gold in her home country. However, she has unfinished business in the Bird’s Nest because she was unable to compete in the 2008 Olympics due to injury.
All official start times can be found here.
[all photos in post via USA Today Sports Images, and feature image by Getty Images]