Berlin 2009: day seven preview
The men’s 400n final provides the highlight of a busy day seven in the Berlin Olympic Stadium. spikesmag.com takes a peek at the action...
Q This is the night for the 400m men, right?
A Yes. Billed as a showdown between world champion Jeremy Wariner and Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt, the men’s 400m final should be the highlight of day seven. Wariner won back-to-back world titles in Helsinki and Osaka but last season Merritt got the better of his fellow American, taking the gold medal in Beijing’s Bird’s Nest.
Q Okay, but who has the upper hand this season?
A Well, the thing is they’ve avoided each other like the plague and their first showdown this season will be in Berlin. Wariner, as defending champion, competes here without having to go through the qualification process at the US trials and they’ve dodged each other on the European circuit. For athletes who are capable of sub-44 second times, however, neither has been at their absolute best this season.
Q Who could threaten this pair?
A That is the question. The Caribbean challenge looks strong. It’s led by perennial fourth-placer Chris Brown of the Bahamas – fourth at the previous two World Championships - and Renny Quow of Trinidad, who has been held a consistent presence on the European circuit this season. Watch out for Michael Bingham, too. He set a massive PB to qualify for the final.
Q The women have their 200m final tonight, is there a female version of Bolt?
A Not quite, but US sprinter Allyson Felix is certainly pretty special. She won the past two World Championship 200m finals and is threatening to become the first female track athlete in history to land a hat-trick. She is relatively short but possesses a long flowing stride and there are few athletes that possess a more rhythmic style than Felix.
Q Sounds like she’s a shoo-in for victory then?
A Well, she’s favourite that’s for sure – especially after running her second best 200m time of her life 21.88 in her last pre-Berlin competition in Stockholm. The reigning Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica is a determined competitor and will not lay down without a fight. Other names to watch out for include Marshevet Hooker of the USA and the 2001 champion and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie of the Bahamas, who is enjoying a real return to form.
Q So plenty of sprint action then but do the endurance fans get their fix?
A Yes. It’s semi-final time in the women’s 1500m and men’s 800m. The former event looks like being a three-way battle for gold between the defending champion Maryam Jamal of Bahrain, Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka and Anna Alminova, the European Indoor 1500m champion. Watch out for Great Britain’s Lisa Dobriskey, too. She hopes to go at least one better than in Beijing last year when she finished fourth in the Olympic 1500m final.
Q And what do we have in store for field fans?
A The men’s high jumpers are fighting for medals in the final. Ivan Ukhov of Russia will start as favourite.
He’s the guy who was a YouTube smash after being, let us say, a little bit under the influence of alcohol while competing in Lausanne last year. To give him credit he’s bounced back this year and has been the world’s most consistent high jumper. Watch out for former basketball player Andra Manson of the USA and German hopeful – the wonderfully named – Raul Spank. Xuejun Ma of China led the women’s discus qualifiers and will start favourite for the final.
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