{"id":568,"date":"2011-08-31T05:44:00","date_gmt":"2011-08-31T12:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=568"},"modified":"2012-01-13T17:45:02","modified_gmt":"2012-01-14T01:45:02","slug":"world-championships-intermission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=568","title":{"rendered":"World Championships \u2013 Intermission"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wow. We\u2019re already half way through the World Championships, and so far we\u2019ve had a bit of everything. Some controversy; exciting competitions; and lots of young people stepping up! \"image\"<\/a>I know that the controversies are dominating most conversations \u2013 the Bolt & Robles DQ\u2019s \u2013 but to me the most exciting thing to come out of the first few days has been the number of new\/young champions that have been crowned. <\/p>\n

Looking at athletes like David Rudisha (KEN), Kirani James (GRN), Tatyana Chernova (RUS), Jason Richardson (USA) and Pawel Wojciechowski (POL) tells me that we are in the midst of a youth movement in the sport. I suspect that the podium in London is going to look a lot different than the podium in Beijing. Not just because I expect to see the names change significantly, but also because if you look at the young people making these finals they are from all over the globe. <\/p>\n

I can remember a time not that long ago when the sport was dominated by athletes from the U.S., Germany, Britain and Russia. In Daegu we are witnessing the rest of the world catch up. France had two men in the 100 final, so did Grenada in the 400 final. Botswana won the women\u2019s 400 for the first time. Brazil the women\u2019s pole vault. The French team appears to be growing, as does the Cuban team \u2013 look for both to make a serious impact by meets end. And the biggest little country in the world of track and field just might be Kenya. We often complain about the various problems in the sport, but it seems that diversity isn\u2019t one of them. <\/p>\n

The headlines heralding this World Championships revolved around Allyson Felix\u2019 attempt at a double, and Usain Bolt continuing his championship domination \u2013 both of which went by the wayside with Bolt\u2019s \"image\"<\/a>false start and Felix\u2019 oh so close silver in the 400. There was also the comeback of LaShawn Merritt which also ended in silver and the summit meeting of the three fastest hurdlers in history in the men\u2019s 110 hurdles, which went to up and coming Jason Richardson. This meet has not been kind to those in the headlines! Or to favorites in general, just ask Jessica Ennis about her javelin debacle in the Heptathlon. <\/p>\n

So, what do we have to look forward to for the second half of the meet? <\/p>\n

Well there\u2019s the 200 meters where Usain Bolt and Allyson Felix will both be looking for redemption \u2013 and Felix will be attempting to win her fourth title in a row. Bolt should have a fairly easy run at a medal with only Walter Dix appearing to provide any real opposition. Felix\u2019 job will be much tougher as Carmelita Jeter is now looking to complete a double and Veronica Campbell Brown will be attempting to transfer her Olympic success (two Olympic titles) to the World Championships. <\/p>\n

Then there are the men\u2019s jumps \u2013 high jump, long jump, & triple jump \u2013 where all three fields are deep and fairly evenly distributed with talent. They could be among the closest and most exciting competitions of the meet. Australian Mitchell Watt will be looking to claim his countries first gold \u2013 a la Kirani James and Amantle Montsho earlier this week. And Americans Jesse Williams (high jump) and Christian Taylor (triple jump) will be aiming to add to the U.S. medal count. <\/p>\n

I expect another hot distance race with Mo Farah trying to upgrade from silver to gold in the 5000 meters against a field that once again contains a strong contingent of Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes, and evergreen American Bernard Lagat. <\/p>\n

And then there are the relays. The sprint picture has changed dramatically since the start of this meet. Bans and injuries have taken their toll, and many athletes are not looking as sharp as one would have expected. In the short relays it looks like passing will be even more critical than ever. The Bolt lead men\u2019s Jamaican squad may be without teammate Asafa Powell. The U.S. only moved one man to the 100 final. The Trinidadian women could be lurking on the women\u2019s side \u2013 they only had one 100 finalist but left two more in the semis. And look for the French to be in play on the men\u2019s side, as quietly they had two 100 meter finalists. <\/p>\n

In the long relays I imagine we will see some personnel changes among several squads based on fitness levels. Both Belgium and Grenada had two finalists in that 400 final \u2013 more than the U.S., Jamaica or the \"image\"<\/a>Bahamas! And the U.S., Russia, and Jamaica all had three finalists in the women\u2019s 400 final \u2013 but uncharacteristically American Sanya Richards Ross and Jamaican Novlene Williams Mills did not look strong while the Russians both came to play! <\/p>\n

So there is a lot more action to come in this meet. Hopefully we are past the drama and controversy and can pick up where we left off at the break \u2013 with more stirring action. Next up we get that men\u2019s high jump with Jesse Williams (USA) taking on the tough Russian contingent of Ivan Ukhov, Aleksander Shustov, and Aleksey Dmitrik. Misses at low heights in in this competition could be deadly. The women\u2019s 1500 final could be the best of the day. It looks to be a fairly wide open field, but Maryam Jamal (BRN) is twice defending champion and knows how to run in a championship setting. I\u2019ll have my eye on Morgan Uceny (USA) who I think has the best shot at upending the defending champ. <\/p>\n

The day will end with both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s 400 hurdle finals. After the semis these are more wide open than they appeared at the opening of the meet as some athletes have emerged while some others are not looking as sharp as expected \u2013 putting lane assignments in the wspotlight. In the women\u2019s race, lane draw could make a difference as defending champion Melaine Walker (JAM) drew lane eight, and teammate Kaliese Spencer (an early favorite) drew lane two \u2013 both off less than stellar semifinal runs. The best of the semis \u2013 Lashinda Demus (USA), Zuzana Hejnova (CZE), Natalya Antyukh (RUS) and Vania Stambolova (BUL) will populate lanes three through six. This is going to be a wild one. Lane draw may also determine the outcome of the men\u2019s race, as early favorites L.J. van Zyl (RSA) and Angelo Taylor (USA) will bookend the field in lanes eight and one respectively. Meanwhile those middle lanes will have Javier Culson (PAN), Cornel Fredericks (RSA), Bershawn Jackson (USA) and David Greene (GBR). This will be very interesting. Take note that Taylor\u2019s first ever global medal was Olympic gold in 2000 \u2013 out of lane one! Can he repeat that performance in Daegu? <\/p>\n

The best is yet to come in this meet \u2013 trust me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wow. We\u2019re already half way through the World Championships, and so far we\u2019ve had a bit of everything. Some controversy; exciting competitions; and lots of young people stepping up! I know that the controversies are dominating most conversations \u2013 the Bolt & Robles DQ\u2019s \u2013 but to me the most exciting thing to come out of the first few days has been the number of new\/young champions that have been crowned. Looking at athletes like David Rudisha (KEN), Kirani James (GRN), Tatyana Chernova (RUS), Jason Richardson (USA) and Pawel Wojciechowski (POL) tells me that we are in the midst of a youth movement in the sport. I suspect that the podium in London is going to look a lot different than the podium in Beijing. Not just because I expect to see the names change significantly, but also because if you look at the young people making these finals they are from all over the globe. I can remember a time not that long ago when the sport was dominated by athletes from the U.S., Germany, Britain and Russia. In Daegu we are witnessing the rest of the world catch up. France had two men in the 100 final, so did Grenada in the 400 final. Botswana won the women\u2019s 400 for the first time. Brazil the women\u2019s pole vault. The French team appears to be growing, as does the Cuban team \u2013 look for both to make a serious impact by meets end. And the biggest little country in the world of track and field just might be Kenya. We often complain about the various problems in the sport, but it seems that diversity isn\u2019t one of them. The headlines heralding this World Championships revolved around Allyson Felix\u2019 attempt at a double, and Usain Bolt continuing his championship domination \u2013 both of which went by the wayside with Bolt\u2019s false start and Felix\u2019 oh so close silver in the 400. There was also the comeback of LaShawn Merritt which also ended in silver and the summit meeting of the three fastest hurdlers in history in the men\u2019s 110 hurdles, which went to up and coming Jason Richardson. This meet has not been kind to those in the headlines! Or to favorites in general, just ask Jessica Ennis about her javelin debacle in the Heptathlon. So, what do we have to look forward to for the second half of the meet? Well there\u2019s the 200 meters where Usain Bolt and Allyson Felix will both be looking for redemption \u2013 and Felix will be attempting to win her fourth title in a row. Bolt should have a fairly easy run at a medal with only Walter Dix appearing to provide any real opposition. Felix\u2019 job will be much tougher as Carmelita Jeter is now looking to complete a double and Veronica Campbell Brown will be attempting to transfer her Olympic success (two Olympic titles) to the World Championships. Then there are the men\u2019s jumps \u2013 high jump, long jump, & triple jump \u2013 where all three fields are deep and fairly evenly distributed with talent. They could be among the closest and most exciting competitions of the meet. Australian Mitchell Watt will be looking to claim his countries first gold \u2013 a la Kirani James and Amantle Montsho earlier this week. And Americans Jesse Williams (high jump) and Christian Taylor (triple jump) will be aiming to add to the U.S. medal count. I expect another hot distance race with Mo Farah trying to upgrade from silver to gold in the 5000 meters against a field that once again contains a strong contingent of Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes, and evergreen American Bernard Lagat. And then there are the relays. The sprint picture has changed dramatically since the start of this meet. Bans and injuries have taken their toll, and many athletes are not looking as sharp as one would have expected. In the short relays it looks like passing will be even more critical than ever. The Bolt lead men\u2019s Jamaican squad may be without teammate Asafa Powell. The U.S. only moved one man to the 100 final. The Trinidadian women could be lurking on the women\u2019s side \u2013 they only had one 100 finalist but left two more in the semis. And look for the French to be in play on the men\u2019s side, as quietly they had two 100 meter finalists. In the long relays I imagine we will see some personnel changes among several squads based on fitness levels. Both Belgium and Grenada had two finalists in that 400 final \u2013 more than the U.S., Jamaica or the Bahamas! And the U.S., Russia, and Jamaica all had three finalists in the women\u2019s 400 final \u2013 but uncharacteristically American Sanya Richards Ross and Jamaican Novlene Williams Mills did not look strong while the Russians both came to play! So there is a lot more action to come in this meet. Hopefully we are past the drama and controversy and can pick up where we left off at the break \u2013 with more stirring action. Next up we get that men\u2019s high jump with Jesse Williams (USA) taking on the tough Russian contingent of Ivan Ukhov, Aleksander Shustov, and Aleksey Dmitrik. Misses at low heights in in this competition could be deadly. The women\u2019s 1500 final could be the best of the day. It looks to be a fairly wide open field, but Maryam Jamal (BRN) is twice defending champion and knows how to run in a championship setting. I\u2019ll have my eye on Morgan Uceny (USA) who I think has the best shot at upending the defending champ. The day will end with both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s 400 hurdle finals. After the semis these are more wide open than they appeared at the opening of the meet as some athletes have emerged while some others are not looking as sharp as expected \u2013 putting lane assignments in the wspotlight. In the women\u2019s race, lane draw could make a difference as defending champion Melaine Walker (JAM) drew lane eight, and teammate Kaliese Spencer (an early favorite) drew lane two \u2013 both off less than stellar semifinal runs. The best of the semis \u2013 Lashinda Demus (USA), Zuzana Hejnova (CZE), Natalya Antyukh (RUS) and Vania Stambolova (BUL) will populate lanes three through six. This is going to be a wild one. Lane draw may also determine the outcome of the men\u2019s race, as early favorites L.J. van Zyl (RSA) and Angelo Taylor (USA) will bookend the field in lanes eight and one respectively. Meanwhile those middle lanes will have Javier Culson (PAN), Cornel Fredericks (RSA), Bershawn Jackson (USA) and David Greene (GBR). This will be very interesting. Take note that Taylor\u2019s first ever global medal was Olympic gold in 2000 \u2013 out of lane one! Can he repeat that performance in Daegu? The best is yet to come in this meet \u2013 trust me.<\/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":[74],"class_list":["post-568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-world-championships"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa3DCY-9a","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2689,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2689","url_meta":{"origin":568,"position":0},"title":"They Said He Couldn’t Be Replaced","author":"CHill","date":"August 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been saying since before Covid, that the 200 meters is the deepest and most exciting event in the sport. Primarily because that's where the bulk of the sprint talent is - on both the men and women's sides. Judging from the results coming out of the World U20 Championships\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Afrifrah\"","block_context":{"text":"Afrifrah","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=afrifrah"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/D0794A39-830F-4616-91FE-11987CB04C88-150x150.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2367,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2367","url_meta":{"origin":568,"position":1},"title":"How About a Real World Championships?","author":"CHill","date":"January 23, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"It's funny that one of the first things written about the sport in 2019 is about the addition of mixed relays to the World Relays event and to the World Championships. Funny, ha ha, in that they are being added ostensibly to make the events more interesting for \"fans\".\u00a0 How\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"World Championships\"","block_context":{"text":"World Championships","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=world-championships"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Sprinter-Shadow_thumb-115x150.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":424,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=424","url_meta":{"origin":568,"position":2},"title":"X-mas List Item #2 \u2013 Free Live Streaming","author":"CHill","date":"December 16, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"If Track Santa is kind enough to give me some exciting matchups this coming season, I\u2019d love to be able to actually watch them as they occur. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I love YouTube \u2013 because everything ends up on YouTube sooner or later. But there is something to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 4 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 4 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=424#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"BERLIN - AUGUST 23: South Korean athletes carry a banner for the 2011 games in Daegu, South Korea during day nine of the 12th IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium on August 23, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Mark Dadswell\/Getty Images)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view4.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/6136302\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2897,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=2897","url_meta":{"origin":568,"position":3},"title":"Understand the Assignment","author":"CHill","date":"May 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The World Relays has come and gone, with a lot of \"unexpected\" finishes left in its wake. After watching the races and the comments made during and after the event, I've come to the conclusion that a lot of people really don't understand the purpose of the meet - including\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"World Athletics\"","block_context":{"text":"World Athletics","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?tag=world-athletics"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/trackchill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/2A6245A3-AA6C-4120-AF41-52A4ACA1A12A-150x150.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":258,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=258","url_meta":{"origin":568,"position":4},"title":"Time to Tweak the World Championships","author":"CHill","date":"December 30, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I remember looking forward to the first World Championships back in 1983. We had boycotted the 1980 Olympics, so the last time the US had participated in a global championships had been the Games of 1976! So it had been an eternity for track fans salivating for a global event.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Track and Field: 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.picapp.com\/ftp\/Images\/5\/8\/3\/2\/Track_and_Field_3c02.JPG?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":406,"url":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=406","url_meta":{"origin":568,"position":5},"title":"My Vision For the World Championships","author":"CHill","date":"October 5, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, I know it\u2019s October and we just had the opening ceremonies for the Commonwealth Games.\u00a0 But with the majority of top line athletes missing from the Commonwealth, my mind can\u2019t help but fast forward to the next gathering of the world\u2019s best athletes \u2013 the World Championships in Daegu.\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 5 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 5 comments","link":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/?p=406#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"BERLIN - AUGUST 23: South Korean dancers perform during the Closing Ceremony during day nine of the 12th IAAF World Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium on August 23, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose\/Bongarts\/Getty Images)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/view1.picapp.com\/pictures.photo\/image\/6136639\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics\/12th-iaaf-world-athletics.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=568"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":781,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568\/revisions\/781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trackchill.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}