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PREVIEW - Men’s 100m
Sunday 31 July 2005
Men’s 100m is looking very different now in late July than it did at the start of the season. The new World Record holder, Asafa Powell of Jamaica, will not compete in the World Championships 100m. Powell has suffered from groin injuries since he clocked the new WR 9.77 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens.
In Powell’s absence, the favourite in Helsinki will be another sprinter with good memories from Athens. Justin Gatlin of the United States won the 100m at the Olympics a year ago. Gatlin was in awesome form already in late June, when he took the rare sprint double at the US championships. He was the first man to win both 100m and 200m since Kirk Baptiste in 1985.
Gatlin’s races in Europe have confirmed his status as the favourite in Helsinki. At Lausanne, he was still a little off his best pace with 10.03. At the TDK Golden League in Rome he won with 9.96, and at the London Grand Prix, with 9.89. In London, he thought he was racing the World record holder, but Powell had to hobble back to the starting blocks after he hurt his groin again. That didn’t slow down Gatlin’s race. Gatlin’s strength is his strong finish, and in London he was almost flying towards the finish line.
Gatlin’s premier rivals can all give him a tough race in the final. At the Olympics, Francis Obikwelu was the man who got closest to Gatlin and took the silver medal. The Nigerian-born athlete represents Portugal, and he is a very experienced competitor. He has clocked 10.04 this season, but he has not yet had a perfect race.
The experienced Aziz Zakari of Ghana has been in good form with a season best of 9.99.
Trinidad and Tobago has a very strong duo for the 100m with 2003 World Championships silver medallist Darrel Brown and 2005 national champion Marc Burns. Burns clocked 9.96 winning time in the national championships in June and has been running well in Europe as well. Darrel Brown set a still standing World Junior record in the second round of the Paris World Championships with 10.01 result and finally was able to better that mark in the national championships as well with a 9.99 PB.
A new sprinter joined the sub-ten seconds club this summer. Roland Pognon of France ran a new national record of 9.99 at Lausanne with the assistance of a strong tailwind. Pognon is only 22 years old, and he took silver at the indoor European championships earlier this year. In Helsinki, the conditions may get cool, and that might be to Pognon’s advantage.
Even Shawn Crawford might offer a major surprise in the 100m. The American won the 200m at the Olympics last year. In Helsinki, because of injuries, he will only run the home straight. Crawford came second after Gatlin in the US championships and he was third in the 200m.
The third man representing the United States in Helsinki is Leonard Scott. He has obviously been successful in timing his form: at the London Grand Prix on July 22, Scott ran his PB of 9.94. Defending World champion Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis has been crafty with his timing as well. His time of 10.00 in the same race was his best this season.
Helsinki 2005 media team
PREVIEW - Men’s 200m
Sunday 31 July 2005
At the World Championships, there are several interesting names to watch in the 200m. Two names to keep in mind for the future are Wallace Spearmon and Usain Bolt.
Wallace Spearmon is a 20-year-old American, who burst onto the world stage by winning the US university championships with an impressive 19.91. At the US championships at Carson in June, the inexperienced Spearmon finished fourth in the 200m with 20.16. Although only the three fastest qualified for the team for the World Championships, Spearmon was later added to the team because Shawn Crawford did not want to run the 200m in Helsinki.
Spearmon runs with a long, elegant stride. Helsinki will be his first major championship. He has competed often this year, both indoors and outdoors. Nevertheless, running his PB and world season best time of 19.89 in London on July 22, Spearmon showed the world that his form is peaking right on time.
Usain Bolt is also running faster as the World Championships get closer. The 18-year-old from Jamaica also ran his best time this season in London. Spearmon won the race, but Bolt clocked 19.99. His PB is the World Junior record of 19.93 from last year.
Another promising name is Tyson Gay of the United States. At 22 years, he is only slightly older than Bolt and Spearmon. At the US University Championships, Gay’s time in the semi-final was absolutely world-class, 19.93. He ran again under 20 seconds in London in July with 19.99.
The youngsters are fast, but they all have fairly little experience in dealing with the pressures of a major championship final. One man who knows how to deal with those pressures is Justin Gatlin. The American took home the bronze medal at the Olympics last year. The first man in 20 years to win both the 100m and 200m at the US championships, Gatlin took a convincing win in late June with 20.04. His best time this season is 20.00.
Four men from the US will line up in the 200m, because John Capel is the defending champion. Capel’s best time this year is 20.47 from London in July.
A European challenger perhaps able to upset the American dominance could be Christian Malcolm of Great Britain. Malcolm won at the European Cup Super League in Florence with 20.15.
Another possible European surprise name is Tobias Unger who broke the long standing national record (20.23s from 1985) by Frank Emmelmann earlier this season in the German championships. Unger clocked two impressive personal bests, 20.20 NR over 200m and also a 10.16 winning time for 100m. The 2005 European Indoor champion finished seventh in the Olympic final of 2004 and took the bronze medal in the 2004 World Indoor championships.
A real question mark hangs over 100m specialist Ronald Pognon of France who rarely runs the 200m distance, but easily set a personal best of 20.34 in the recent national championships in his second choice event and is also entered to Helsinki World Championships for the 200m.
Helsinki 2005 media team
PREVIEW - Men’s 400m
Sunday 31 July 2005
In early summer, Jeremy Wariner predicted that the winner of the 400m in Helsinki at the World Championships will have to run the lap in under 44 seconds. In the light of this year’s statistics, Wariner may well be right and this as for everyone else would mean running his own personal best. The Texan is the favourite to win the race in Helsinki, but he faces tough competition from several runners.
A year ago, Wariner finished a perfect season with the Olympic gold medal in Athens. In the final he clocked his PB and the new Olympic record of 44.00s. His preparation for the Olympics was long and Wariner competed often last summer. This year is different. His season will be shorter, and he has mainly raced at Grand Prix meets and at the US Championships.
At the US titles meet, Wariner had a win with 44.20, the best time in the world this season. In his GP races he has repeatedly clocked times around 44.90.
But the race Wariner will surely remember coming into the Championships is the London Grand Prix in late July. There, he suffered a surprise defeat to Briton Tim Benjamin. Benjamin ran a spectacular race on the outside of Wariner, and clocked his PB 44.75. Wariner’s time was 44.86.
Wariner’s coach is Clyde Hart, who used to coach Michael Johnson. With someone as experienced as Hart, it would be a surprise if Wariner was not in peak form during the World Championships.
Wariner’s premier challenger could be his own training partner Darold Williamson. At the US university championships, Williamson had an impressive race and he clocked 44.27. He came second after Wariner at the US national championships with the same time 44.27.
Wariner and Williamson are the only two men to run under 44.50s this year.
One of the strong candidates to provide a surprise is Alleyne Francique of Grenada. He finished fourth at the Olympics last year, and Francique’s best time this season is 44.60.
Jamaica has always produced top-class 400m runners, and Lansford Spence and Brandon Simpson are keeping up this tradition. Spence’s best time this year is 44.77 and Simpson’s 44.83.
Tyler Christopher ran the new Canadian record of 44.69 at Paris in early July. Another dark horse might be Gary Kikaya of the Congo, who won the Golden League meet at Oslo with 44.81.
Helsinki 2005 media team
PREVIEW - Women’s 100m
Sunday 31 July 2005
To guess the winner of women’s 100 metres in Helsinki is not an easy job: there are many athletes who are capable of taking the Championship, and a technically sound performance and the athletes’ condition on the final day play a crucial role.
The number one on the world season’s list, Chandra Sturrup who sprinted to the national record of 10.84 in Lausanne, and France’s Christine Arron (10.94) who has dominated the competitions in the TDK Golden League, start the competition as favourites.
Once the heats start, the spectators will see the present condition of American Lauryn Williams, the runner-up in the Olympic Games, who suffered a slight setback early this season. The heats will also show how successful Veronica Campbell, the winner of the 200 metres in Athens and third in 100 metres, has been in peaking her condition at the right time.
33-year-old Strurrup, training in North Carolina with Trevor Graham, is an experienced athlete. The sizzling starter has gained success in the World Indoor Championships. In the World Championships outdoors she has taken the bronze medal at 100 metres (2001) and gold in sprint relay (1999). In Helsinki she could finally win the title of World champion.
In her last competition before the World Championships, Sturrup showed that her speed won’t suffer from cold or wind. In such conditions, she won the 100 metres in Stockholm with 11.18. The nights in August in Helsinki may be surprisingly cool as the temperature may drop to 15-17 degrees of Celsius.
This has been a summer of endless success for Arron and her male teammates, sprinter Ronald Pognon and high hurdler Ladji Doucouré. Respectable first places in the Golden League indicate that Arron could be successful at the distance in a major outdoor championships for the first time since winning the European title in 1998. Arron, living in Paris seems to be in good form. Since the beginning of July, Arron has performed in all her four competitions at least a result of 11.06. Her season best was the 10.94 she sprinted in Lausanne.
Early this summer in Carson, Campbell sprinted 100 metres in 10.96 and at the end of June in the national championships she clocked 10.97. Her performances in meetings before the World Championships, i.e. 100 metres at Helsinki Grand Prix (11.12) and the wind-assisted 200 metres in London (22.29) indicate that she has what it takes.
Williams, who was beaten by Yuliya Nesterenko in the Athens Olympic Games, is again finding her good form. A year ago, just before Athens she sprinted 100 metres in 11.12. Now in Oslo at the Bislett stadium she was just behind Arron with 11.16.
Olympic champion Nesterenko, on the other hand has only competed once, she clocked 11.47 in Eugene in the start of June. The Belarussian, however is coming to Helsinki and her coach says that her form “is close to what it was in Athens 2004”.
Another favourite for gold at 100 metres is Sherone Simpson. The 20-year-old athlete, placed sixth in Athens, and sprinted in the national championships in Kingston to her personal record of 10.97. However, with the Worlds approaching, her speed has been less convincing. The case is similar with the Jamaican Aleen Bailey.
The US Champion MeLisa Barber hasn’t been able to perform a sub-11.10 result since the Carson nationals, unlike the dark horse of the World Championships, 22-year-old Greek María Karastamáti. She recently won the title in the Under-23 European Champion in Erfurt, Germany with respectable a 11.03 result.
Helsinki 2005 media team
PREVIEW - Women’s 200m
Sunday 31 July 2005
American Allyson Felix carries the pressure of slight favourite at the 200 metres. She has run this season the two fastest times 22.13 and 22.14 and is the US champion. The final of 200 metres in Helsinki is expected to be a replay of Athens, where she met Jamaican Veronica Campbell.
Felix, now 19, began training with Bobby Kersee in the autumn. She has been training in a team environment with elite workout partners that include Joanna Hayes, Eunice Barber, Monique Henderson, Sheena Johnson and Michelle Perry.
This summer the young athlete has improved her 100 metres personal best to 11.14. It seems that she is in a good shape, as in London Grand Prix she ran 200 metres in a promising wind-assisted result of 22.16, and handily defeated Olympic winner Veronica Campbell.
Campbell will attempt a double in Helsinki. In Athens, she beat Felix and others by running a spectacular time of 22.05. It is expected that the winning time in Helsinki will be of the same level, but it remains to be seen whether the Jamaican can do it this time – so far her best time this season was the wind-assisted time of 22.29 in London.
Rachelle Smith (22.22s this season) and LaTasha Colander (22.34s) who both will be running only 200 metres, will fight for a place in the final and if successful, for a place on the podium.
After a break of few seasons, Christine Arron of France has returned to fast times in the 200m as well. The 100m specialist’s only big accomplishment is the Mediterranean Games win in 1997. She did compete in 200m in Athens 2004, but could only advance to semifinals. However, in the recent French championships, she clocked a fast 22.39 in the heats and then 22.38 in the final, and has to be considered a threat to the Americans in Helsinki.
Another athlete with an outside chance to medals is Cydonie Mothersill of Cayman Islands. She flashed a sign of her talent in the 2004 Olympics by running a totally relaxed heat finishing with a national record of 22.40. In Athens something went wrong in the later rounds as she was well off her heat form, but this season she has already set another NR of 22.39s in the heats of the Central American and Caribbean Championships in Nassau in mid-July. In the final she clocked even a faster time of 22.26s, but well wind assisted with a following wind of 3.8 m/s.
Also never forget Belgium’s Kim Gevaert. The European indoor 60m champion, set a national record the 100m in 11.12 in late July, and that speed it likely to be translated into a faster 200m time that her current 22.68 at the beginning of July.
Helsinki 2005 media team
PREVIEW - Women’s 400m
Sunday 31 July 2005
A year ago in the Olympic Games in Athens, Tonique Williams-Darling of Bahamas and Ana Guevara of Mexico grabbed the top positions with outstanding times of 49.41 and 49.56. Judging from the competitions this summer, at least American Sanya Richards is a serious threat to these two and she might even take the Championship home.
Richards, trained by Michael Johnson’s former and Jeremy Wariner’s present coach Clyde Hart, ran the world season best and her personal best of 49.28 in the US nationals in Carson. In the competition she spurred her team mates Dee Dee Trotter (49.88) and Monique Henderson (49.96) into excellent results.
After the nationals, Richards, barely 20 years old, kept on going in Europe. The Texan has won one competition after another: in Lausanne on 5 July with a time of 49.95, three days later in Rome with 49.82, followed by London on 22 July with 50.35. She has also recorded a personal best of 22.53 during this season at 200 metres.
Olympic winner Tonique Williams-Darling has been saving her energy this summer, especially when it comes to competitions in Europe. With her experience, she knows the art of timing. In June she ran a respectable 49.69 in the Paris Golden League meeting, which includes her among the favourites for the World title.
The reigning World Champion Ana Guevara has competed relatively little this season. So far she hasn’t been able to perform a sub-50 second result, or to win a competition after the season’s opening race. Guevara’s season best is 50.05. Her last competition before the World Championships was in London, where she was second (50.68) behind Richards.
Russian Svetlana Pospelova is also takes a place among the favourites for a medal. In mid-July the 25-year-old athlete took the Russian Championship with her personal record 49.80. In the heats she clocked 49.96. Just before the World Championships, she clocked in personal best of 22.39 in Tula…
The development of the Russian has been remarkable this season. The previous record on 400 metres was 50.47 and was made in 2002. Pospelova broke this record already last winter indoors when she took the European championship in Madrid.
Helsinki 2005 media team