The fight for two gold in high jump
High jumps remain the main Russian discipline in athletics. Moreover, the stars acting at the highest level are among both women and men. So do not be surprised if in honor of the high jumpers at the start of the Doha World Championship, two white flags rise.
The favorite of the women's competitions, like all previous years, will be Maria Lasicki. She has a chance to become the first three-time world champion in this discipline in history. In addition to the 26-year-old Russians, two victories were won by the world record holder from Bulgaria Stefka Kostadinova, South African Hestry Kloet and Croatian Blanca Vlašić.
Lasickene has every reason to take gold again. She leads the season with a jump of 2.04 meters and won 11 of the 12 summer competitions.
However, the rivals still have a chance to compete for the victory. Autumn results Lasickens were not so unattainable. The last time she jumped two meters on July 24th. After that, at three September tournaments there was a drop in indicators - 1.99 m, 1.98 m and 1.94 m.
The time interval between the last start and the finals of the World Cup is only 16 days, and Lasitskene should try to return to his level during this period in order to extend the triumphal series of Russians in high jumps at the world championships by five wins.
As for male jumpers, two years ago Danil Lysenko became the silver medalist of the World Cup, after which he disappeared from the radar due to missed doping tests. But in the team he quickly found a replacement, even two: Ilya Ivanyuk and Mikhail Akimenko. Both Russians are among the leaders of the season, having the assets of jumping 2.33 m and second only to the Belarusian Maxim Nedosekov, who in June 2019 jumped two centimeters higher in Minsk.
2.33 m is, of course, not the height that guarantees at least getting into medals at world championships. In addition, both Russian jumpers are still young and inexperienced, and Akimenko even received a neutral status only in September. However, this season there is simply no favorite in men's high jumps, and literally any of almost a dozen applicants can win gold.
For one of them, the public in Doha will be especially worried. Mutaz Essa Barshim is the main star of all Qatari sports and the current world champion in high jump. Due to last year's injury, his bar dropped almost 15 centimeters, and this season his best result is only 2.27 m. But at the home world championship, the 28-year-old jumper will try to intervene in the fight for gold.
Shubenkov Medal Series
In the men's 110 meter hurdles at a tournament in Doha, a historic event may occur. Not a single athlete has yet managed to win medals at four world championships in a row. Russian Sergei Shubenkov may be the first to submit to this achievement. In his asset there are already awards of all three virtues, and from Qatar he may well bring another medal.
This year, a native of Barnaul showed excellent seconds, coming close to the 13-second barrier. In the ranking of the season, Shubenkov took fifth place due to the famous finish in Rabat, when he pulled out a victory from Olympic champion Omar MacLeod in the fall. After that, the Russian had to recover for a long time in Austria and re-form.
The seconds Shubenkov demonstrated in the fall are not very impressive. But the places that he occupied at the same time in big tournaments are quite. He was third in the Diamond League finals, which MacLeod missed for health reasons. Later, the time of the World Cup is not easy for many athletes, and Shubenkov, who was recovering and taking shape again in the summer, has a chance to be on the podium for the fourth time in a row. Fighting for gold with the Spaniard Orlando Ortega, who overtook everyone in September, will not be easy, but Shubenkov’s other dignity is on the shoulder.
The revival of female pole vaulting
Two years ago, it was possible to win the sixth women's world championship in the sixth with a score of 4.65 m. However, this summer season, 21 athletes showed jumping to such a height. Eight of them conquered the bar, which could bring silver in London (4.75). Perhaps, of all the athletics disciplines, this particular one is now experiencing its heyday and boasts the highest competition.
It is gratifying that in this huge group of applicants for the champion title there is also a Russian athlete. Angelica Sidorova jumped 4.91 meters in winter and climbed 4.86 meters in summer. Only 37-year-old American Jennifer Sur was above her in the open air, but she showed her 4.91 meters in March and has not since was so dangerous.
The current Olympic champion and world champion Katerina Stefanidi promises to become the main rival of Sidorova. In the Diamond League finals, they jumped 4.83 meters together, but the Greek woman was higher in her attempts. A few days later, the Russian woman took revenge at a match between the United States and Europe. At the continental championships Sidorova already won everything that is possible, but at the world championships she always remained a step away from victory. Now she will have to withstand the pressure of American Sandy Morris, Swedes Angelika Bengtsson, New Zealand Eliza McCartney, Cubes Yarisley Silva, British Holly Bradshaw. Sidorova defeated each of them individually, but now she has to try to leave everyone behind immediately.
The reaction of viewers to doping problems
The 2017 World Cup was remembered not only by the last races of the great Usain Bolt, but also by a whistle to his main rival Justin Gatlin. The audience did not like the fact that a hundred-meter athlete won twice, having served a sentence for doping. Very soon, the 37-year-old runner will once again come to the World Cup, along with a partner, to whom there may also be questions.
More recently, Chris Coleman was not sure that he would go to Doha, and had to make excuses to the US Anti-Doping Agency for three missed doping tests within 12 months. He managed to prove that the time period was 26 days longer than necessary, and this avoided two years of disqualification. At the same time, Coleman did not have to explain why the three doping checks did not take place.
Now the 23-year-old athlete, the world record holder in the 60-meter race, will be able to seriously fight for the gold of the World Cup in the 100-meter race. Coleman in this discipline owns the best season result in the world - 9.81 s. Between him and Gatlin fit another American Noah Liles and Nigerian Devine Odduru.
At the Doha tournament, Coleman and Gatlin will be united not only by the dubious doping past, but also by the struggle for victory in the sprint relay. Moreover, only force majeure can prevent the victory of the US national team - in other cases, it is the Americans who, after 12 years, will try on the gold medals of the World Cup. The fact is that the four fastest representatives of the United States are among the seven best runners of the season, and with such indicators they are not afraid of either Jamaica or the United Kingdom.
Felix fight for the title of the most titled track and field athlete in the world
So far, only two athletes in history have managed to win 11 world titles: Usain Bolt and Allison Felix. However, if the Jamaican has already completed his career for two years and enjoys a sports pension, the 33-year-old American is eager to fight again and expects to set an absolute record among athletes in gold medals.
Just ten months ago, Felix with complications gave birth to a premature baby, and now she is going to the World Championships in Doha. During this time, she managed to attract the attention of American society to the problem of the lack of sponsorship during maternity leave and to speak at the US qualifying championship. Having run 400 m in just 51.94 s, Felix took sixth place. This was enough to get into the relay team and perform in the preliminary races at the World Cup.
today i'll step on the starting line for the first time in over a year. it might sound cliche, but making it there is a huge victory.
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8 months ago this was my world. it's been a tough road. i'm far from my best, but grateful for this opportunity & most importantly our health. pic.twitter.com/g1seQSp169
Now an American will almost certainly be able to win her 12th gold. Her teammates are incredibly strong and everyone ran out of 51 seconds this season. To officially become the most titled athlete in the world championships, Felix is enough to help his team to reach the finals, and then hope that no one drops his wand and runs into someone else's track. Then the six-time Olympic champion will be rewarded for all the ordeals experienced in the past year.