Atheltics Weekly

EVENT-BY-EVENT PREVIEW – WOMEN
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LASITSKENE RAISES THE BAR
HIGH JUMP
KATARINA JOHNSON-
THOMPSON’S leap of 1.98m
during the heptathlon in Rio
would have been enough
to take the outright Olympic
high jump gold which went to
Spain’s Ruth Beitia. Anyone
looking for a podium spot in
Maria Lasitskene: great form in 2017
STEFANIDI HAS FIGHT TO STAY ON TOP
POLE VAULT
KATERINA STEFANIDI’S fear
of heights has not stopped
her from excelling at her
chosen profession and when
she arrives in London, the
challenge will be for the
Olympic champion to remain at
the top of the pole vault tree.
London, however, is going to
have to jump much higher.
That’s largely thanks to the
presence of Maria Lasitskene,
one of the Russian athletes to
be banned from Brazil but who
will be able to defend her world
title by competing under a
neutral flag.
Lasitskene has already
Katarina Johnson-Thompson: set
UK record at Rio Olympics last year
jumped 2.06m this year and the
world record of 2.09m could
well come under threat.
American world indoor
champion Vashti Cunningham
is also on good form, as is
European indoor champion
Airine Palsyte of Lithuania.
Event statistics
World record: 2.09m Stefka
Kostadinova (BUL)
Champs record: 2.09m Stefka
Kostadinova (BUL)
Defending champion: Maria
Kuchina (now Lasitskene) (RUS)
British interest: Katarina Johnson-
Thompson, Morgan Lake
AW prediction: 1 Lasitskene (RUS);
2 Cunningham (USA); 3 Licwinko
(POL)
History: Three athletes have won
double gold – Kostadinova, Hestrie
Cloete and Blanka Vlasic.
Johnson-Thompson, of
course, will have the chance
to thrive on the swell of home
support while her compatriot
Morgan Lake, whose 1.96m
jump in winning the team trials
put her third on the British alltime
list, will look to continue
her impressive development. EC
who broke the national record
in Manchester back in May,
is having a breakthrough year
and will look to become a big
beneficiary of competing on
home turf. EC
Holly Bradshaw:
podium potential
Event statistics
World record: 5.06m Yelena
Isinbayeva (RUS)
Champs record: 5.01m Yelena
Isinbayeva (RUS)
Defending champion: Yarisley Silva
(CUB)
British interest: Holly Bradshaw
AW prediction: 1 Morris (USA);
2 Stefanidi (GRE); 3 Suhr (USA)
History: World record-holder
Isinbayeva is the only three-time
champion, and also won a bronze.
Medal contenders (l to r): Katerina Stefanidi, Jenn Suhr and Sandi Morris
Coached by her husband,
and resident in America, the
Greek will not have far to look
in terms of where the biggest
challenges will be coming from.
The American duo of Sandi
Morris, a silver medallist in Rio,
and 2012 Olympic champion
Jenn Suhr will provide stern
opposition in a field where a
number of athletes have all
been hitting reasonably similar
standards of late.
Britain’s Holly Bradshaw,
A T H L E T I C S W E E K L Y 4 7