{"id":479,"date":"2011-05-04T05:59:00","date_gmt":"2011-05-04T12:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=479"},"modified":"2011-05-04T05:59:00","modified_gmt":"2011-05-04T12:59:00","slug":"a-look-ahead-to-doha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=479","title":{"rendered":"A Look Ahead to Doha"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"image\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The pro season will get started in earnest Friday in Doha, Qatar. Judging from the lineup for the meet, and the large number of top level athletes on tap, the pros will be using the Diamond League to get paid while they prepare for Worlds. We may not see them all at the same time, or get the head to head \u201cshowdowns\u201d that we want, but it looks like the Road to Daegu will run down the middle of the Diamond League.<\/p>\n

The Start Lists for Doha are now available: Men\u2019s<\/a> List. Women\u2019s<\/a> List.<\/p>\n

Let me say that the event I was most looking forward to was the men\u2019s 800, but earlier this week both David Rudisha (KEN) and Abubaker Kaki (SUD) pulled out due to injury. I was hoping we would get a nice early season show down of note. However, there are still lots of athletes to keep an eye on. With that said, based on the current entries, here are a few events that I will be watching closely.   <\/p>\n

Men\u2019s 110 Hurdles.<\/strong> David Olver (USA). Until we get Liu &\/or Robles on the track, Oliver should be running time trials in his preparation, as no one else has yet risen close to the stature of the Big Three. So the question in Doha for me is how close will Oliver get to 13.00? Because this year could be his shot at the WR if he can get the competition from Liu and Robles.<\/p>\n

Men\u2019s 200.<\/strong> Walter Dix (USA). After his Penn leadoff beat down by Asafa Powell (JAM) I want to see if Dix bounces back in Doha. He needs a pro like race here badly \u2013 meaning a victory near or under 20.00. Dix has shown the potential to be a great sprinter. He\u2019s also shown a tendency to be up and down. His demeanor in championships is as good as any \u2013 but he\u2019s got to get there first. He should get a fair test here from Saidy Ndure (NOR). And running a deuce gives us another look at Dix running around that turn.<\/p>\n

Men\u2019s Triple Jump.<\/strong> Teddy Tamgho (FRA). I would love to see a long 58 footer out of Tamgho. I think he is capable of challenging the 60 foot barrier (and Edwards\u2019 WR) and getting out well beyond 58 feet early should move him towards 60 feet by season\u2019s end. IMHO Tamgho is capable of being this year\u2019s Bolt \/ Rudisha \u2013 that athlete that makes a \u201cmajor\u201d breakthrough.<\/p>\n

Men\u2019s Pole Vault.<\/strong> Renaud Lavillenie (FRA). Another athlete approaching a barrier as Lavillenie seems to have the potential to reach 20 feet. So does Steven Hooker of Australia. Their season\u2019s bests last year were only .01cm apart. While they don\u2019t grab the headlines their road to Daegu, and the battle once there, could be as epic as any in the sport this year.<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s 1500.<\/strong> Gelete Burka (ETH). Burka is one of the top 1500 runners out there. She should be in the mix for a spot on the podium at Worlds. With the current yearly leader only at 4:06, I expect this race to begin to set the standard for the season. Daegu should go sub 4:00, I expect to see Burka around 4:02 here. <\/p>\n

Women\u2019s 400.<\/strong> Allyson Felix (USA). Felix is in good shape \u2013 she split 50.3 in the 4×4 at Penn. Her speed is fairly sharp \u2013 she looked good on the backstretch of a 42.34 4×1 at Penn. She is considering making an attempt at the 200\/\/400 double at Worlds and this will be her first open 400 of the season. It should be an interesting race. Amantle Montsho (BOT) is always tough and should give Felix all she can handle. I\u2019ll also be watching Nicola Sanders (GBR). She ran 49.65 and was the silver medalist in Osaka (\u201807). She\u2019s had injury issues since, but could be a factor if healthy. She could be a sleeper. <\/p>\n

Post Penn, this will be an excellent way to finally get the season rolling. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The pro season will get started in earnest Friday in Doha, Qatar. Judging from the lineup for the meet, and the large number of top level athletes on tap, the pros will be using the Diamond League to get paid while they prepare for Worlds. We may not see them all at the same time, or get the head to head \u201cshowdowns\u201d that we want, but it looks like the Road to Daegu will run down the middle of the Diamond League. The Start Lists for Doha are now available: Men\u2019s List. Women\u2019s List. Let me say that the event I was most looking forward to was the men\u2019s 800, but earlier this week both David Rudisha (KEN) and Abubaker Kaki (SUD) pulled out due to injury. I was hoping we would get a nice early season show down of note. However, there are still lots of athletes to keep an eye on. With that said, based on the current entries, here are a few events that I will be watching closely.   Men\u2019s 110 Hurdles. David Olver (USA). Until we get Liu &\/or Robles on the track, Oliver should be running time trials in his preparation, as no one else has yet risen close to the stature of the Big Three. So the question in Doha for me is how close will Oliver get to 13.00? Because this year could be his shot at the WR if he can get the competition from Liu and Robles. Men\u2019s 200. Walter Dix (USA). After his Penn leadoff beat down by Asafa Powell (JAM) I want to see if Dix bounces back in Doha. He needs a pro like race here badly \u2013 meaning a victory near or under 20.00. Dix has shown the potential to be a great sprinter. He\u2019s also shown a tendency to be up and down. His demeanor in championships is as good as any \u2013 but he\u2019s got to get there first. He should get a fair test here from Saidy Ndure (NOR). And running a deuce gives us another look at Dix running around that turn. Men\u2019s Triple Jump. Teddy Tamgho (FRA). I would love to see a long 58 footer out of Tamgho. I think he is capable of challenging the 60 foot barrier (and Edwards\u2019 WR) and getting out well beyond 58 feet early should move him towards 60 feet by season\u2019s end. IMHO Tamgho is capable of being this year\u2019s Bolt \/ Rudisha \u2013 that athlete that makes a \u201cmajor\u201d breakthrough. Men\u2019s Pole Vault. Renaud Lavillenie (FRA). Another athlete approaching a barrier as Lavillenie seems to have the potential to reach 20 feet. So does Steven Hooker of Australia. Their season\u2019s bests last year were only .01cm apart. While they don\u2019t grab the headlines their road to Daegu, and the battle once there, could be as epic as any in the sport this year. Women\u2019s 1500. Gelete Burka (ETH). Burka is one of the top 1500 runners out there. She should be in the mix for a spot on the podium at Worlds. With the current yearly leader only at 4:06, I expect this race to begin to set the standard for the season. Daegu should go sub 4:00, I expect to see Burka around 4:02 here. Women\u2019s 400. Allyson Felix (USA). Felix is in good shape \u2013 she split 50.3 in the 4×4 at Penn. Her speed is fairly sharp \u2013 she looked good on the backstretch of a 42.34 4×1 at Penn. She is considering making an attempt at the 200\/\/400 double at Worlds and this will be her first open 400 of the season. It should be an interesting race. Amantle Montsho (BOT) is always tough and should give Felix all she can handle. I\u2019ll also be watching Nicola Sanders (GBR). She ran 49.65 and was the silver medalist in Osaka (\u201807). She\u2019s had injury issues since, but could be a factor if healthy. She could be a sleeper. Post Penn, this will be an excellent way to finally get the season rolling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-7J","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1139,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=1139","url_meta":{"origin":479,"position":0},"title":"Doha Should Start the DL Off With a Bang","author":"CHill","date":"May 9, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Kingston was pretty hot, and over the last few weeks we've had bits and pieces of high quality action in various meets - like Mt SAC, Penn, and Drake. But now we get to finally get the start of the Diamond League on Friday, and looking at the provisional start\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Diamond League\"","block_context":{"text":"Diamond League","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=diamond-league"},"img":{"alt_text":"Florida lane lines (2)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Florida-lane-lines-2_thumb.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Florida-lane-lines-2_thumb.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/Florida-lane-lines-2_thumb.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2206,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2206","url_meta":{"origin":479,"position":1},"title":"Pulling Up the Last Leg of 2018","author":"CHill","date":"August 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This has been a very interesting season. We knew that it would be, given that it's an off year and off seasons are usually marked by change - and 2018 has seen lots. As a matter of fact, we're looking at a nearly wholesale revamping on the men's side. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Asher Smith\"","block_context":{"text":"Asher Smith","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=asher-smith"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Placeholder-150x150.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2137,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2137","url_meta":{"origin":479,"position":2},"title":"Doha and Kingston Heat Up the Season","author":"CHill","date":"May 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Penn was the unofficial start to the outdoor season. The \"USA v The World\" is sort of the kick off to things. That was last weekend. This weekend sh*t got real, as the Diamond League got under way with the first stop in Doha on Friday. And to make sure\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Dix\"","block_context":{"text":"Dix","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=dix"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sprinter Shadow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Sprinter-Shadow_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":324,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=324","url_meta":{"origin":479,"position":3},"title":"The Diamond League to Debut in Doha","author":"CHill","date":"May 13, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Finally we get the start of the long awaited Diamond League. Fourteen meetings that begin in Asia, move to Europe, travel to the US, then journey back to Europe. The full schedule is as follows: Doha, Qatar Friday, May 14 Shanghai, China Sunday, May 23 Oslo, Norway Friday, June 4\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=324#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1842,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=1842","url_meta":{"origin":479,"position":4},"title":"Doha DL, Let’s Get Ready to Rumble","author":"CHill","date":"May 8, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"OK, now that we've had our first sub10 of the year, it finally feels like track season. And right on time we get the first of the Diamond League meets in Doha on Friday, which means a lot more elite athletes should be competing. While I have many issues with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Aman\"","block_context":{"text":"Aman","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=aman"},"img":{"alt_text":"Placeholder","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Placeholder_thumb.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":400,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=400","url_meta":{"origin":479,"position":5},"title":"The Diamond League \u2013 I Was Hoping for Bigger and Better","author":"CHill","date":"September 20, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"When the concept of the Diamond League was presented in 2009, I found myself anticipating the 2010 season like an anxious child awaiting Christmas. After all there was much to look forward to based on the \u201cpreviews\u201d. 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