Atheltics Weekly

IAAF WORLD CHAMPS 2017
RIO RERUN BETWEEN TOP TWO
400m
THE 400m in Rio was one of
the most exciting and dramatic
races with Shaunae Miller-Uibo
throwing herself across the line
to deny world champion Allyson
Felix, who had beaten her in
Beijing.
The battle for gold will again
be between the two and both
are unbeaten in 2017 but have
obviously yet to meet.
Felix has the faster time but
Miller-Uibo has probably been
the most impressive and with
improved speed is the marginal
favourite.
Quanara Hayes won the US
Championships in 49.72 and
was only third in Rabat but is
capable of challenging the two
favourites.
There are two other strong
Americans in Phyllis Francis and
Kendall Ellis, which gives them
half the finalists.
Jamaica could do likewise
though as they also have a
strong quartet led by Olympic
medallist Shericka Jackson
and 2007 medallist Novlene
Williams-Mills, who also made
the last four finals since then.
Chrisann Gordon and
Allyson Felix: defeating Shaunae
Miller-Uibo in Beijing in 2015
Event statistics
World record: 47.60 Marita Koch
(GDR)
Champs record: 47.99 Jarmila
Kratochvilova (CZE)
Defending champion: Allyson Felix
(USA)
British interest: Zoey Clark, Emily
Diamond, Anyika Onuora
AW prediction: 1 Miller-Uibo (BAH);
2 Felix (USA); 3 Hayes (USA)
History: There are three athletes
who have won double titles –
Marie-Jose Perec, Cathy Freeman
and Christine Ohuruogu.
Diamond League winner
Stephenie Ann McPherson are
also genuine final material.
Botswana’s Lydia Jele looks
the best of the rest. It is hard to
see a European in the final with
Ukraine’s Olha Zemlyak and
Justyna Swiety standing out.
The fastest Brit Emily
Diamond is only 50th worldranked
but ran superbly to
make the Rio semi-finals last
year and should do so again, if
close to her best.
Zoey Clark would need a
big PB to join her. Anyika
Onuora made the 2015 world
semi-finals and ran 50.83 but
looks a second short of that
form in 2017. SS
CASTER SPELL OVER TWO-LAP RIVALS
800m
A SOUTH AFRICAN record in
Monaco for the 2009 and 2011
world and double Olympic
champion Caster Semenya
showed her form is good she
and starts as a big favourite,
having the best speed and
strength of all those competing.
She is complicating her bid
for gold though by potentially
running three 1500m races
first but has not lost an 800m
race for two years. It hasn’t
always been clear-cut though
as Francine Niyonsaba and
Ajee’ Wilson also went inside
1:56 in Monaco with her and
look the most likely to win the
other medals. Niyonsaba was
second in Rio.
Other potential medal
chasers are Beijing runnerup
Melissa Bishop, Olympic
bronze medallist Margaret
Wambui and 2013 champion
Eunice Sum.
Caster
Semenya:
expected to
defend
Wilson could have two
fellow Americans in the final
alongside her as Charlene
Lipsey and 2013 medallist
Brenda Martinez are also in
good form.
Semenya is not the only one
doubling up and Sifan Hassan
could be a factor in her second
best event in a fast run race
though she is also entered for
the 5000m.
Former European champion
Lynsey Sharp was sixth in Rio
and is returning to form. It is
not out of the question she
could be joined in the final by
Shelayna Oskan-Clarke. Only
ranked 24th, she actually looks
in better form than when she
was a shock fifth in Beijing in
2015.
Event statistics
World record: 1:53.28 Jarmila
Kratochvilova (CZE)
Champs record: 1:54.68 Jarmila
Kratochvilova (CZE)
Defending champion: Caster
Semenya (RSA)
British interest: Shelayna Oskan-
Clarke, Lynsey Sharp, Adelle Tracey
AW prediction: 1 Semenya (RSA);
2 Niyonsaba (BDI); 3 Wilson (USA)
History: Maria Mutola has won
three golds, five medals and been in
eight world finals. It could have been
more but in Gothenburg in 2005 she
was disqualified from her semi-final
for stepping on a line when a big
favourite.
Adelle Tracey looks ready
to join her team-mates inside
two minutes but would need
the race of her life to make the
semi-finals. SS
4 2 A T H L E T I C S W E E K L Y