400m hurdles: McLaughlin big favorite, Warholm back?
Whether in men or women, we are faced with aliens of discipline. Sydney McLaughlin has only raced four times this season and has completed both of her finals under 52 seconds. She also improved her own world record at the American Trials on the same Eugene track on June 25 in 51”41. And everything wasn’t perfect yet, that’s to say that the time can still go down.
Her biggest rival, her American teammate Dalilah Muhammad, former world record holder in the discipline, assured to have in her legs her personal best (51”58). The explanation between the two specialists in the 400m hurdles could lead to a new record.
Among the men it is a Norwegian who dominates the discipline. Karsten Warholm repeatedly improved the record until becoming the first athlete under 46 seconds (45.94) at the Tokyo Games in August 2021.
This year, he was injured after his first outing and he will arrive in lack of rhythm at the Worlds. But the king of the discipline warned that he had already achieved a world record during this first outing. To reassure yourself or warn your opponents that you shouldn’t forget it too quickly?
Women’s triple jump: Rojas couldn’t get enough
She had ended a 27-year wait in Tokyo, setting the new world record for the triple jump in 15.67m outdoors. Yulimar Rojas could do it again in Eugene, both his way of jumping and his ability to be improved.
Will she be the first woman at 16m? It’s still a bit early to tell, but there’s no doubt that it should still improve its brand. The Venezuelan has not jumped beyond 15m this season outdoors, but this winter in Belgrade she had further improved the world record in the discipline by falling to 15.74m.
Men’s shot put: Will Crouser succeed himself?
Ryan Crouser is already the world shot put record holder with a throw of 23.37m, set in June 2018. Since then, the American has multiplied performances beyond 23m without managing to improve it.
He nevertheless believed in it in January 2022, when he propelled his weight to 23.38 m at the Millrose Games in New York, but it was a measurement error and everything has to be redone for the double Olympic champion.
Pole vault men: nothing stops Duplantis
Armand Duplantis raised the world record for the discipline to 6.20m and broke this bar four times. In total, the Swede has jumped more than 45 times beyond 6m, enough to make him the big favorite of the Worlds.
If now the outdoor and indoor world records are no longer differentiated, “Mondo” achieved an unprecedented performance during the Swedish stage of the Diamond League, crossing 6.16 m, the best world performance in history in outside. Which could give him ideas to try 6.21 m in the coming weeks…
110m hurdles: Allen to dethrone Merritt?
No one had come close to Aries Merritt’s world record for a few years (12”80). However, it was his compatriot Devon Allen who almost beat him by crossing the finish line in 12”84 in New York on June 12th.
The footballer showed a little fatigue during his European meeting tour, but he will play on familiar ground in Eugene and could take the opportunity to further improve his personal record.
Enough to obliterate Merritt? Not sure, but with the crazy competition ahead, including the prodigy Grant Holloway, second performer in history (12”81), anything is possible.
100m hurdles: a mere tenth off the world record
Several of them can claim to aim for 12”20 and under in the 100m hurdles. American Kendra Harrison (12”34), world record holder, her compatriot Alaysha Johnson (12”35) and Puerto Rican Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (12”37) all ran under 12′ ’40.
At just under two tenths of the world record they may seem far away. But we must not forget that Harrison had a white season in 2020 before returning to the highest level.
Camacho-Quinn, she approached the world record during the 2021 season by completing her race in 12”26. One thing is certain, it could go very quickly between these three, and we will have to keep an eye on the final.