With the team selected for Daegu, it’s time to start looking at where our medals our. So following is my first Medal Watch List of 2011. My final list of 2010 can be found here for comparison.

As you can see the list has already undergone some major renovation since the end of the 2010 season, and with nearly two months to go until Daegu I’m sure there will be more changes. As always the list is composed of those individuals that I feel have the potential to step onto the medal stand at the World Championships. As we know, however, much happens during a meet as intense as Worlds. Dropped batons. Misjudged rounds. Or simply a bad day, and medals slip away.

So while I feel that all of those listed have the potential to garner medals, reality is that some will not. Please note that in some cases there are multiple names listed. This is because while I feel that several individuals have the potential to medal in an event, I feel that only 1 will.

I will try to fine tune things and have my final projected list prior to the opening ceremony for the meet. But as July opens up, this is my list of those American’s that I feel have a strong shot at reaching the podium in Daegu.

Medal Watch List – Potential Medalists in Daegu

With most rosters for Worlds now in the books, every major get together between now and mid August will be looked at in terms of the World Championships. Who’s hot and who’s not? How do those with byes look? Who looks title worthy and who seems to be coming up out of the shadows? Lausanne was our first post Nationals snapshot, and with the lenses focused on Daegu there were some interesting performances Read More...

Sanya Richards Ross just brought up an age old issue when it comes to the U.S. Trials system – that it should be changed to ensure we send our best to major competitions. In some ways the sport has already been in agreement. After all, the IAAF went to the bye for World champions because of Michael Johnson’s injury status in 1997 Read More...

I know I said I was going to recap the field events from Nationals, but I think I will do that in a Preview to Worlds. Mostly because I’m hoping we get a few more athletes in better position, as right now we have a lot of “B” qualifiers and athletes without qualifying marks. And today we are getting back on track, so to speak, with the next stage of the Diamond League – Lausanne Read More...

The pickings have been very slim in our medal hunt in events above 400 meters. While the relative drought goes back even further, since the start of the New Millennium we’ve only had four individuals pick up hardware in a Major – Goucher (‘07, 10,000), Flanagan (‘08, 10,000), Rowbury (‘09, 1500), and Lagat (‘09, 1500/5000) Read More...

Before I start my recap of the hurdle events, let me say that the U.S. sprint hopes got a potential boost with the announcement yesterday that Lashawn Merritt will be allowed to use his bye to the World Championships. This move was sorely needed in my opinion, both to show that USATF is actually trying to work towards accomplishing something in Daegu, as much as to simply indicate that it is capable of doing the right thing for our athletes Read More...

The National Championships ended a couple of days ago now and I’ve been running it back over in my mind, and the DVR, a few times.  Upon further review it was one of the most interesting meets we’ve had in a while. So much so that I’m going to recap it in parts – because there was a lot that went on Read More...

Only about an hours worth of action on the track on the final day, but a pretty exciting hour! And a few surprises.   Anderson In a Photo I knew that the men’s 400 hurdles was going to be close – and was it ever. Jeshua Anderson showed just how strong he was as he got his first sub48 to go with the win – BARELY Read More...

A great day of finals. A couple of favorites did their thing. A couple of youngsters turned the tables. And one of the gutsiest races I’ve seen in the last twenty three years!   McQuay Comes of Age They say that things happen for a reason. Tony McQuay was injured at the NCAA Indoor Championships Read More...

Not a good day. Not on the track. Not on the ‘net. Not on the TV. Just not a good day overall for US track and field. I’ll start with the good but there was a lot of bad. It was like someone pulled the plug on my meet! Black Friday.   Jeter v Myers = Excitement This was indeed what it was supposed to be – sort of Read More...