1st round: August 20, 6:10a Semis: August 21, 2:35p Final: August 21, 3:50p Team USATF: Brittany Brown, Tamari Davis, Sha'Carri Richardson WC Medal History: 17 medals - 8G, 3S, 6B Last Gold: 2017 – Tori Bowie Last Medal: 2017 - gold, Tori Bowie Jamaican women swept the medals last year and again will be formidable opponents, but the U.S. counterpunches with Sha'Carri Richardson, who makes her international senior debut with a 10.71 and a windy 10.57 to her credit in 2023. Richardson ran away with the U.S. title and has tremendous top-end speed. The 2019 World Championships 200 silver medalist, Brittany Brown has been impressive at the shorter distance and was the USATF runner-up with a PB 10.90. 20-year-old Tamari Davis grabbed the third spot on the squad with a 10.99 and has a 10.83 PB from 2022. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is the two-time defending champion for Jamaica and her teammate, Shericka Jackson, was the silver medalist last year and leads the world list at 10.65 in 2023. Marie Josee Ta Lou of Cote d'Ivoire is a huge threat for gold with a best of 10.75 this year, while Britain's Dina Asher-Smith was fourth in 2022. NCAA champion Julien Alfred of St. Lucia is undefeated in the 100 this year and was a double NCAA gold medalist indoors in the 60 and 200 and outdoors in the 100 and 200.
1st round: August 23, 6:05a Semis: August 24, 1:45p Final: August 25, 3:40p Team USATF: Sha'Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, Kayla White WC Medal History: 13 medals - 4G, 8S, 1B Last Gold: 2009 - Allyson Felix Last Medal: 2019 – silver, Brittany Brown Looking to break a winless streak that dates to 2011, U.S. hopes are high with Olympic bronze medalist Gabby Thomas and Sha'Carri Richardson both going sub-22 already this year. Thomas cruised to a 21.60 to win the U.S. title, making her the No. 2 American performer ever and the No. 4 world all-time performer. Richardson is doing the sprint double and has shown her brilliance at the half-lap with a 21.94 to take second behind Thomas at the USATF meet. She also won the Nairobi Continental Tour meet in May at 22.07 and zipped to a windy 21.61 in the USATF heats. Making her international debut, 2019 NCAA indoor champion Kayla White dropped her PB to 22.01 at the USATF Championships. Defending champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica clocked the second-fastest time ever to win that title last year, going 21.45, and has a best of 21.71 this year. Bronze medalist Dina Asher-Smith of Great Britain comes in at 22.23 but is a serious podium contender, as is NCAA champion Julien Alfred of St. Lucia, who has run 21.91. Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas will turn 30 during the Worlds but hasn't slowed down at all and brings a best of 22.15. Alfred's Texas teammate, Rhasidat Adeleke of Ireland, also has potential to medal if she chooses to do the 200/400 double.
1st round: August 20, 3:35a Semis: August 21, 3:10p Final: August 23, 3:35p Team USATF: Talitha Diggs, Britton Wilson, Lynna Irby-Jackson WC Medal History: 11 medals - 4G, 3S, 4B Last Gold: 2017 – Phyllis Francis Last Medal: 2017 – gold, Phyllis Francis; bronze, Allyson Felix It's a mystery whether 2022 champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas will try to defend her title after giving birth on April 20, but there are plenty of powerful contenders if she doesn't. The fastest entrant of 2023 is Marileidy Paulino at 48.98, and she was the silver medalist last year. American indoor record holder Britton Wilson has a PB of 49.13 and was fifth in the 400H at Oregon22, while Talitha Diggs sped to a 49.93 PB to place third at the USATF Championships. Barbados had the bronze medalist last year in Sada Williams, a 50.00 performer this season, and Lieke Klaver of the Netherlands was just off the podium in fourth. She has a 2023 best of 49.81. Ireland's Rhasidat Adeleke won the NCAA title for Texas in 49.20 and has huge upside potential, and Poland's Natalia Kaczmarek has improved significantly to 49.48. One question mark is 2019 champion Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, whose 48.14 from that meet ranks her third on the world all-time performer list. She has run 49.78 in 2023 and was third at the Paris Diamond League meet. Lynna Irby-Jackson is a sub-50 lifetime performer and has a season best of 50.11 that earned her fourth at the USATF Championships.
1st round: August 23, 4:05a Semis: August 25, 2:25p Final: August 27, 2:45p Team USATF: Nia Akins, Kaela Edwards, Athing Mu, Raevyn Rogers WC Medal History: 7 medals - 1G, 2S, 4B Last Gold: 2022 – Athing Mu Last Medal: 2022 – gold, Athing Mu Athing Mu headlines a strong women’s 800m team taking the track in Budapest. Having won her only outing at 800 this year, a 1:58.73 in New York City, she was the surprise runner-up in the 1500 at the USATF Championships in a PB 4:03.44. A clear contender to push Mu through the finish is the woman who has finished second behind her at the past two global championships, Britain's Keely Hodgkinson. Hodgkinson is the fastest woman in 2023 at 1:55.77, and she will need at least that kind of pace to stave off Kenya's Mary Moraa, an über-talented athlete who earned bronze last year in a PB 1:56.71 and has also run 50.38 for 400 this season. Another Briton, Jemma Reekie, is one of a group of four women with sub-1:58 credentials, and she will be pushed by Jamaica's veteran Natoya Goule-Toppin and 2019 champion Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda. USATF indoor and outdoor champion Nia Akins is enjoying the finest season of her career, and Raevyn Rogers is an Olympic and World Championships medalist who has a PB of 1:56.81 from Tokyo in 2021. Kaela Edwards is the other U.S. entrant after placing third at the USATF Championships. The 2016 NCAA indoor mile champion for Oklahoma State, Edwards has a PB of 1:59.68, but that was five years ago.
1st round: August 19, 7:15a Semis: August 20, 11:05a Final: August 22, 3:30p Team USATF: Nikki Hiltz, Sinclaire Johnson, Cory McGee WC Medal History: 7 medals – 2G, 4S, 1B Last Gold: 2011 – Jenny Simpson Last Medal: 2017 - silver, Jenny Simpson There isn't a bigger pre-meet favorite on the track than Kenya's Faith Kipyegon, the defending champion who has set world records at three distances this season, including a stunning 3:49.11 in the 1500 at the Florence Diamond League meet. Kipyegon shattered the mile record with a 4:07.64 at Monaco last month and won the past two Olympic golds. If the final turns into a tactical affair, U.S. champion Nikki Hiltz has the skills to grab a medal. A finalist at the 2019 World Championships, Hiltz won the Pan American Games that year, and their PB of 3:59.61 came en route to breaking the American record in the mile at Monaco on July 21 with a 4:16.35. Looking for her first sub-4:00 clocking, Cory McGee has been a finalist at the past two global championships and was the runner-up in the mile at the Bislett Games in Oslo in 4:18.11, making her the No. 5 all-time U.S. performer. Sinclaire Johnson placed sixth last year and was the NCAA champion in 2019 for Oklahoma State. She has a PB of 3:58.85 from last year but has yet to crack the 4:00 barrier this season. Returning bronze medalist Laura Muir of Britain has a career best of 3:54.50 and was the Olympic silver medalist in Tokyo. Three Ethiopian women will be battling for medals, led by Hirut Meshesha at 3:54.87. 17-year-old Birke Haylom has set several world U18 records this year and has a 3:54.93 PB, with Diribe Welteji not far behind at 3:55.08. One intriguing entrant is Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, the 2019 champion who is also entered in the 5000 and 10,000. It was her mile WR of 4:12.33 that Kipyegon broke, and she has a PB of 3:51.95.
1st round: August 23, 1:45p Final: August 27, 3:10p Team USATF: Emma Coburn, Krissy Gear, Courtney Wayment WC Medal History: 3 medals – 1G, 2S, 0B Last Gold: 2017 – Emma Coburn Last Medal: 2019 - silver, Emma Coburn Kenyans Jackline Chepkoech and world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech will face off against Ethiopia's Sembo Almayew as the three fastest women in 2023, and returning bronze medalist Mekides Abebe of Ethiopia should also be in contention. J. Chepkoech tops the world list this season at 8:57.35, a time that ranks her No. 7 on the all-time world performer list, while B. Chepkoech has run 9:04.34 in 2023, well off her WR of 8:44.32 from 2018. Bahrain's Winfred Yavi is another sub-9:00 runner, with a PB of 8:56.55. USATF champion Krissy Gear took more than 10 seconds off her lifetime best to win the title and is confident she can go much faster. Emma Coburn won the world title in 2017 and was the silver medalist in 2019, and she will be aiming to improve on her eighth-place finish last year. A finalist at Oregon22, Courtney Wayment has a PB of 9:09.91 and has run 9:11.41 this season. European stars Alice Finot of France and Marusa Mismas Zrimsek of Slovenia are likely finalists, as is Albania's Luiza Gega.
1st round: August 23, 5:10a Final: August 26, 2:50p Team USATF: Elise Cranny, Alicia Monson, Natosha Rogers WC Medal History: none Last Gold: none Last Medal: none Time will tell how much the 1500 takes out of Faith Kipyegon's legs, but her 14:05.20 world record at Paris in June certainly bodes well for her chances at another gold. In her way will be Ethiopia's Letesenbet Gidey, the former world record holder, and 2022 champion Gudaf Tsegay, also of Ethiopia. Gidey finished outside the medals in 2022 but her 14:06.62 PB earns her much respect. Tsegay won the Oregon22 gold in a sprint finish and has a 14:12.29 PB. Throw in Beatrice Chebet, a Kenyan who has run 14:12.92 this year, Ejgayehu Taye of Ethiopia, and 2017 bronze medalist Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, and you have the makings of a classic championship race. Alicia Monson is a strong contender to break the U.S. medal drought in the event after setting an American record of 14:19.45 at London on July 23, and Elise Cranny and Natosha Rogers will be after berths in the final. Keep an eye on youngster Medina Eisa of Ethiopia, as the 18-year-old lowered her PB to 14:16.54 to crush the world U20 record in July.
Final: August 19, 2:55p Team USATF: Elise Cranny, Alicia Monson, Natosha Rogers WC Medal History: 2 medals – 0G, 1S, 1B Last Gold: none Last Medal: 2015 - bronze, Emily Infeld Six women in the field have PBs faster than 30:00, and in the absence of any medalists from Oregon22, it's a wide-open affair. Gudaf Tsegay is doing the 5K/10K double, and Sifan Hassan is adding the 1500 to that feat, so both women will be marshaling their resources to not waste a lot of energy in their first event on the track. Hassan is the No. 2 performer ever at 29:06.82, with Tsegay at No. 4 in 29:29.73, a time she ran on June 23 in Spain. Alicia Monson claimed an American record of 30:03.82 earlier this year, and Britain's Eilish McColgan was a couple strides in front of her that night at 30:00.86, a national record. Natosha Rogers improved her PB to 30:48.69 in the same race, while Elise Cranny is the third-fastest American ever at 30:14.66 from last year. Kenya's Grace Loibach Nawowuna and a trio of Ethiopians led by Ejgayehu Taye are also strong challengers for a podium spot.
Final: August 26, 1:00a Team USATF: Keira D’Amato, Lindsay Flanagan, Susanna Sullivan WC Medal History: 2 medals – 0G, 1S, 1B Last Gold: none Last Medal: 2017 - bronze, Amy Cragg Two of history's fastest women, Kenya's Rosemary Wanjiru and Ethiopia's Tsehay Gemechu, have bettered 2:17 and will battle it out for gold on the streets of Budapest. Wanjiru's 2:16:28 PB at Tokyo in March ranks her No. 6 on the all-time performer list, and Gemechu is at No. 8 with her 2:16:56 from the same race. Defending champion Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia hasn't run a marathon this year but set her PB of 2:18:11 to win in Eugene last July. The No. 3 woman in history, Amane Beriso Shankule of Ethiopia has a PB of 2:14:58 from last December, while Lonah Chemtai Salpeter of Israel was the bronze medalist at Oregon22 and has run 2:17:45. Former American record holder Keira D'Amato sports a PB of 2:19:12 and claimed an AR in the half marathon with a 66:39 at the Gold Coast in Australia on July 1. She was eighth at Oregon22 and is primed to challenge for a medal. Her U.S. teammates, sub-2:25 performers Lindsay Flanagan and Susanna Sullivan, give Team USATF a powerful trio.
Final: August 20, 1:15a Team USATF: none WC Medal History: none Last Gold: none Last Medal: none Kimberly Garcia of Peru is back to defend her title but is only the second-fastest entrant at 1:26:40. Topping the list is Spain's Maria Perez, the fourth-place finisher at the Tokyo Olympics and a 1:25:30 performer this year. Perez is the No. 2 non-Russian or non-Chinese walker ever, but she will have to keep an eye on not only Garcia, but also China's Jiayu Yang and Hong Liu. Yang and Liu ae No. 2 and No. 3 on the all-time world list, with Yang boasting a PB of 1:23:49 and Liu toting a 1:24:27. No American women will contest this event.
Final: August 24, 1:00a Team USATF: Stephanie Casey, Miranda Melville, Maria Michta-Coffey WC Medal History: none Last Gold: none Last Medal: none All three medalists from the inaugural World Championships race last year return, led by Kimberly Garcia of Peru. Garcia held the world record at 2:37:44 before it was broken by Spain's Maria Perez with a 2:37:15, and those two will go head-to-head for the second time in five days. Poland's Katarzyna Zdzieblo was the silver medalist at Oregon22, while China's Qieyang Shenjie took the bronze. There are two other Chinese walkers in the top five on the entry list, Xueying Bai and Maocuo Li, and Japan also has a dynamic duo in Kumiko Okada and Serena Sonoda. One of the most decorated athletes in U.S. women's track and field history with more than 20 national titles to her credit, Maria Michta-Coffey was the top Team USATF finisher at Eugene last summer, taking 22nd. Stephanie Casey was 24th and Miranda Melville placed 29th, and that trio will be seeking top-20 finishes in Budapest.
1st round: August 22, 12:40p Semis: August 23, 2:40p Final: August 24, 3:25p Team USATF: Nia Ali, Keni Harrison, Masai Russell WC Medal History: 16 medals - 8G, 5S, 3B Last Gold: 2019 – Nia Ali Last Medal: 2019 - gold, Nia Ali; silver, Keni Harrison One of the marquee events of the Championships features American record holder Keni Harrison facing off against Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico and 2019 world champion Nia Ali, a 34-year-old mother of three who captured the USATF title last month in 12.37 and has a new PB of 12.30, set in winning the Monaco Diamond League meet. Harrison's AR of 12.20 came seven years ago, but she showed she is still a major threat with a 12.31 behind Ali in Monaco. Nigeria's Tobi Amusan set a world record of 12.12 in the heats at Oregon22 and will be among the favorites, but there is another speedy American waiting to snag a podium spot in the form of Masai Russell. Russell was an NCAA runner-up for Kentucky in the indoor 60H and outdoors in the 100H, and she has a PB of 12.36 from the Texas Relays in April. NCAA champion Ackera Nugent of Arkansas and Jamaica has a best of 12.43, while Switzerland's Ditaji Kambundji has been on a tear of late and has lowered her PB to 12.47.
1st round: August 21, 12:50p Semis: August 22, 2:25p Final: August 24, 3:50p Team USATF: Anna Cockrell, Shamier Little, Dalilah Muhammad WC Medal History: 20 medals - 5G, 9S, 6B Last Gold: 2022 – Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Last Medal: 2022 - gold, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone; bronze, Dalilah Muhammad On paper, Femke Bol of the Netherlands is a prohibitive favorite after moving to No. 2 on the all-time world performer list with her 51.45 at the London Diamond League meet. Bol took the silver medal at last year's World Championships and has superb flat speed. Former world record holder and 2016 Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad set her PB of 51.58 at Tokyo in 2021 and was also the 2019 world champion, but she had to settle for bronze last summer. USATF champion Shamier Little was the World Championships silver medalist in 2015 and just missed the podium in 2022 in fourth. She has a PB of 52.39 and dropped her flat 400 career best to 49.68 to finish second at Monaco last month. Ranked No. 5 on the all-time world performer list, Little is making her fourth World Championships appearance. World U20 champion in 2016 and a Pan American Games silver medalist three years later, Anna Cockrell set a season best of 53.79 on July 22 at Madrid, just off her PB. A trio of Jamaicans lurk in the wings and could sneak into the medals, led by Janieve Russell, the fourth-place finisher at the Tokyo Olympics, and Andrenette Knight, who set a PB of 53.26 at the Gyulai Memorial meet in Hungary on July 18.
Qualifying: August 25, 4:20a Final: August 27, 2:05p Team USATF: Vashti Cunningham WC Medal History: 4 medals - 0G, 2S, 2B Last Gold: none Last Medal: 2019 – bronze, Vashti Cunningham Will this be the year Vashti Cunningham wins the first U.S. gold at an outdoor World Championships? The 2016 World Indoor champion is unrivaled in American women's high jumping, winning all 12 indoor and outdoor national titles since 2017, and she has a best of 2.00/6-6.75 this year. Standing in her way is Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the 2022 World Indoor champion who has cleared 2.06/6-9 indoors, and reigning champion Eleanor Patterson of Australia. Patterson won based on fewer misses at Oregon22, equaling her national record of 2.02/6-7.5 with a first-attempt clearance. She shares that record with Tokyo silver medalist Nicola Olyslagers, an animated and energetic performer who has potential to scale near-WR heights. Another Ukrainian, Iryna Gerashchenko, is also in the 2.00 club in 2023 and was fourth at Tokyo and Eugene.
Qualifying: August 21, 12:40p Final: August 23, 1:30p Team USATF: Hana Moll, Katie Moon, Sandi Morris, Bridget Williams WC Medal History: 8 medals - 3G, 5S, 0B Last Gold: 2022 – Katie Moon Last Medal: 2022 – gold, Katie Moon; silver, Sandi Morris Katie Moon was the first American woman to win this event in more than 20 years as she added World Championships gold to the Olympic title she earned in Tokyo. Moon is again atop the world list in 2023 with a best of 4.90/16-0.75 and she has won indoor and outdoor USATF titles to go with three Diamond League wins. Her closest rival will be wearing red, white, and blue as well, as three-time silver medalist Sandi Morris aims to upgrade her medal and mount the top step of the podium for the first time. Morris missed out on gold last year by only one miss at the winning height, and she was the USATF runner-up last month. Washington high schooler Hana Moll set an American U20 record of 4.61/15-1.5 and edged out Bridget Williams for third at the USATF meet, but both will be competing here thanks to Moon's wild card entry. Williams has a PB of 4.77/15-7.75, set indoors in February. New Zealand's Eliza McCartney was the bronze medalist at Rio 2016 but has only recently begun to climb back up the world rankings. She has a season best of 4.85/15-11. Tina Sutej of Slovenia is the veteran of the field at age 35, and the former Arkansas star was fourth last year after earning bronze at the World Indoor Championships. Sutej set a national record with a 4.82/15-9.75 clearance indoors in February. Oregon22 bronze medalist Nina Kennedy of Australia, Finland's Wilma Murto and Canada's Alysha Newman are all capable of mounting a medal challenge should any of the favorites stumble.
Qualifying: August 19, 6:25a Final: August 20, 10:55a Team USATF: Quanesha Burks, Tara Davis-Woodhall, Jasmine Moore WC Medal History: 11 medals - 8G, 0S, 3B Last Gold: 2017 – Brittney Reese Last Medal: 2017 - gold, Brittney Reese; bronze, Tianna Bartoletta Quanesha Burks was the highest-placing American last year, taking fourth and missing bronze by one centimeter, and she is back with a pair of super-talented teammates who have both surpassed 7m. Burks upped her PB to 6.98/22-10.75 to win the London Diamond League meet and is making her third trip to the World Championships. Sporting the best PB of the U.S. trio, Tara Davis-Woodhall sailed to a 7.07/23-2.5 in May and is always a threat to hit a big jump. Florida's Jasmine Moore is the best combined horizontal jumper in the country and went 7.03/23-0.75 to win the NCAA indoor title. NCAA champion Ackelia Smith of Texas and Jamaica has the best mark in the field in 2023 at 7.08/23-2.75, but Nigeria's Ese Brume earned silver last year and has to be among the top medal prospects with a PB of 7.17/23-6.25. Serbia's Ivana Vuleta (nee Spanovic) is a two-time bronze medalist with the best PB in the field at 7.24/23-9, and Italy's 21-year-old Larissa Iapichino is the daughter of 2001 world champion Fiona May. Her best thus far? A 6.97/22-10.5 leap that earned her silver at the European Indoor Championships. Brazil's Leticia Melo took bronze in 2022 but is far from that kind of form this season.
Qualifying: August 23, 1:10p Final: August 25, 1:35p Team USATF: Tori Franklin, Keturah Orji, Jasmine Moore WC Medal History: 1 medal – 0G, 0S, 1B Last Gold: none Last Medal: 2022 – bronze, Tori Franklin One of the prohibitive favorites in the entire Championships, Venezuela's Yulimar Rojas is more than two feet better than her nearest challenger on paper. Rojas holds the world record at 15.74/51-7.75 and tops the 2023 world list at 15.18/49-9.75. Unless she has foul trouble, the real tussle will be for silver and bronze, and those podium spots might be open to U.S. contenders Tori Franklin and Jasmine Moore. Franklin became the first American woman to earn a medal in the event with a bronze at Eugene and she thrives in big meets. NCAA indoor and outdoor champion Jasmine Moore of Florida set three American indoor records at the NCAA Indoor Championships, culminating in a 15.12/49-7.25. Rounding out the American trio is Keturah Orji, the sixth-place finisher last year and a two-time Olympic finalist. Orji set the American outdoor record last year at 14.91/48-11 and has a knack for making the final at global championships. Traditional triple jump power Cuba has a pair of medal contenders in Leyanis Perez Hernandez and Liadagmis Povea, while Jamaica's Shanieka Ricketts has earned silver at the last two World Championships. Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk of Ukraine is one of three women in the field with PBs of 15m or better and she took silver in the long jump at Doha 2019.
Qualifying: August 26, 4:25a Final: August 26, 2:15p Team USATF: Adelaide Aquilla, Jalani Davis, Chase Ealey, Maggie Ewen WC Medal History: 4 medals - 1G, 0S, 3B Last Gold: 2022 – Chase Ealey Last Medal: 2022 – gold, Chase Ealey Reigning champion Chase Ealey was the first American woman to stand atop the podium in this event, and another trip to the top isn't out of the question if she returns to top form. Ealey has a PB of 20.51/67-3.5, just short of the American record, but her season best is 20.06/65-9.75. That puts her second on the entry list behind U.S. teammate Maggie Ewen, who blasted a big PB of 20.45/67-1.25 to win the USTAF LA GP in May. Ewen also won the USATF title and is enjoying the best form of her career. The NCAA indoor champion Adelaide Aquilla was an Olympian in 2021 and has a best of 19.64/64-5.25, while Mississippi's Jalani Davis placed third at the USATF Championships and has a PB of 18.64/61-2. The biggest impediment to another American gold rush is China's Olympic champion, Lijiao Gong, a two-time world champion with the longest PB in the field at 20.58/67-6.25. Gong has won medals at seven straight World Championships and shows no sign of weakening at age 34. Sarah Mitton of Canada was fourth in 2022 and is a steady competitor with a PB of 20.33/66-8.5. Other contenders include 2019 silver medalist Danniel Thomas-Dodd of Jamaica and Portugal's Auriol Dongmo, the reigning world indoor champion and a 20.43/67-0.5 performer. NCAA stars Jorinde van Klinken of Oregon and the Netherlands and Axelina Johansson of Nebraska and Sweden are two youngsters to look out for.
Qualifying: August 20, 3:00a Final: August 22, 2:20p Team USATF: Valarie Allman, Elena Bruckner, Veronica Fraley, Laulauga Tausaga-Collins WC Medal History: 1 medal – 0G, 0S, 1B Last Gold: none Last Medal: 2022 – bronze, Valarie Allman Olympic champion and American record holder Valarie Allman would like to add world gold to her résumé after a bronze at Eugene in 2022. Allman entered the World Championships last summer as a favorite to win, but China's Bin Feng uncorked a winning 69.12/226-9 on her first attempt to spoil the party. Allman leads the 2023 world list at 70.25/230-5 and has a pair of Diamond League victories at Florence and Paris already. Asian champion Feng is back to defend her world crown and has a best of 66.81/219-2 this year, with Oregon22 silver medalist and two-time world and Olympic champion Sandra Perkovic of Croatia back for her seventh go-around at the World Championships. The top thrower of her generation, Perkovic hasn't gone past 70m since 2018, but her win at the Stockholm Diamond League meet showed she isn't to be discounted yet. NCAA champion Jorinde van Klinken of Oregon and the Netherlands, who was fourth last year, won the Oslo Diamond League title and has a PB of 70.22/230-4 from 2021. Germany's Kristin Pudenz claimed Olympic silver in Tokyo but fell to 11that Eugene, and her teammate Claudine Vita was fifth in 2022. Notching a big PB of 65.46/214-9 to finish second at the USATF Championships, Laulauga Tausaga-Collins is the best of a young U.S. trio behind Allman, as Veronica Fraley makes her second trip to the Worlds and Elena Bruckner makes her international debut.
Qualifying: August 23, 1:00p Final: August 24, 2:15p Team USATF: Brooke Andersen, Janee' Kassanavoid, DeAnna Price, Jillian Shippee WC Medal History: 3 medals – 2G, 0S, 1B Last Gold: 2022 – Brooke Andersen Last Medal: 2022 – gold, Brooke Andersen; bronze, Janee' Kassanavoid A big bright spot at Oregon22 was the appearance of two Team USATF women's hammer throwers on the podium, a first in Championships history as Brooke Andersen took gold and Janee' Kassanavoid earned bronze. Andersen is back and is again the favorite with a season best and PB of 80.17/263-0 that makes her the No. 3 all-time performer. 2019 champion DeAnna Price is healthy again and will challenge for a medal. She is the American record holder at 80.31/263-6 and has a 2023 best of 78.18/256-6. The only woman ahead of Price and Andersen on the world all-time list is world record holder Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland, who is returning from injuries suffered when chasing a thief. A three-time Olympic champion and four times the winner of the world title, Wlodarczyk set the WR of 82.98/272-3 in 2016 and hasn't topped 80m since 2017. Kassanavoid, the first Native American woman to medal at the World Championships, holds the No. 7 spot on the all-time performer list at 78.00/255-11. Another North American, Camryn Rogers of Canada, snagged silver last year and has been enjoying a marvelous 2023 campaign, winning the USATF LA GP with a national record 78.62/257-11. Italy's Sara Fantini was one place off the podium in 2022, and China's Zheng Wang was the Tokyo silver medalist. Poland's Malwina Kopron earned bronze at the 2021 Olympics but is nowhere near that form in 2023. International debutante Jillian Shippee has a solid chance to make the final if she can match the PB of 74.93/245-10 that placed her fourth at the USATF Championships.
Qualifying: August 23, 4:20a Final: August 25, 2:20p Team USATF: Ariana Ince, Maggie Malone WC Medal History: 1 medal – 0G, 1S, 0B Last Gold: none Last Medal: 2022 – silver, Kara Winger Retirement has taken Oregon22 silver medalist Kara Winger out of the picture for the U.S., but Tokyo finalist Maggie Malone is the former American record holder and capable of breaking into the top three on a good day. Malone has a best of 67.40/221-1 in her career and has thrown 62.28/204-4 this season. Australia's Kelsey-Lee Barber took gold in Eugene and has one of the better PBs in the field at 67.70/222-1, and Japan's Haruka Kitaguchi, the bronze medalist last year, tops the 2023 world list at 67.04/219-11. Olympic champion Shiying Liu of China placed fourth at Eugene, but is well off her best this year, opening the door for Norway's Sigrid Borge and Barber's Aussie teammate, Mackenzie Little. Conditions always play a major role in the javelin, and any of a large group of 62m+ women could figure in the final. Ariana Ince was the Pan American Games bronze medalist in 2019 and has a PB of 64.38/211-3 from last year.
Day 1: August 19, 4:35a Day 2: August 20, 3:50a Team USATF: Taliyah Brooks, Anna Hall, Chari Hawkins WC Medal History: 5 medals - 2G, 0S, 3B Last Gold: 1993, Jackie Joyner-Kersee Last Medal: 2022 – bronze, Anna Hall One of the breakout stories of 2023 is Anna Hall, the bronze medalist from Oregon22 who suddenly looks like the most likely candidate to challenge the 34-year-old world record held by Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Hall shattered the American indoor record in the pentathlon in February, just missing the world record with a stunning 5,004-point score, and she built on that with a 6,988 tally to win the heptathlon at Götzis, Austria, in May to move to No. 5 on the all-time world performer list and No. 2 on the U.S. all-time list behind only JJK's 7,291 WR. Hall is speedy, has superb jumping ability, and she can finish off better than almost anyone in history with an 800 PB of 2:02.97. If she can keep her throws solid, she should become the fifth woman ever to break 7,000 and anything after that is a bonus. Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Britain won the 2019 world title and is only seven points behind Hall on the all-time list with a 6,981 PB. The quality of season bests after those two markedly drops off and the brawl for bronze includes Hall's teammates, Taliyah Brooks and Chari Hawkins. Brooks was second at the USATF Championships and has a PB of 6,330, while Hawkins scored her lifetime best of 6,243 in 2022. Anouk Vetter of the Netherlands earned silver in 2022 with a PB of 6,867 and was also the Olympic silver medalist at Tokyo but is a question mark after a DNF at Götzis. Her teammate, Emma Oosterwegel, took bronze at Tokyo with 6,590 but is 300 points adrift of that form this season.
1st round: August 19, 1:43p Semis: August 20, 10:35a Final: August 20, 1:10p Team USATF: Cravont Charleston, Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley, Noah Lyles WC Medal History: 28 medals - 11G, 11S, 6B Last Gold: 2022 – Fred Kerley Last Medal: 2022 – gold, Fred Kerley; silver, Marvin Bracy-Williams; bronze, Trayvon Bromell Defending champion Fred Kerley has run five 100 races this season, all faster than 10 seconds, with the fastest a 9.88 in May at Yokohama, Japan. He is third on the entry list behind Britain's Zharnel Hughes, who set a national record of 9.83 to win the USATF NYC GP, and Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala. Omanyala clocked 9.84 at Nairobi in May and recently won the Monaco Diamond League. Team USATF swept the medals at Oregon22, but only Kerley returns out of that trio, so American hopes will now rest on USATF champion Cravont Charleston and World Championships veterans Christian Coleman and Noah Lyles. Charleston has had a breakout season, lowering his PB to 9.90 and earning his first international championship berth. Coleman was the 2019 world champion and is tied with Kerley for the fastest PB in the field at 9.76, while Lyles is aiming to complete a sprint double by adding 100 gold to the 200 crown he hopes to defend. Lyles has a PB of 9.86 and a season best of 9.94, but it's his closing speed that worries his competitors. With a good start, Lyles could come away with gold. Jamaica's Ackeem Blake has been burning up the track in 2023, winning the USATF LA GP in a PB 9.89, and fellow Jamaican Oblique Seville was fourth in 2022. Akani Simbine of South Africa has a career best of 9.84 and will be in the medal hunt if he can navigate the rounds.
1st round: August 23, 6:50a Semis: August 24, 2:20p Final: August 25, 3:50p Team USATF: Kenny Bednarek, Erriyon Knighton, Courtney Lindsey, Noah Lyles, WC Medal History: 24 medals - 10G, 6S, 8B Last Gold: 2022 – Noah Lyles Last Medal: 2022 – gold, Noah Lyles; silver, Kenny Bednarek; bronze, Erriyon Knighton An American record and a resounding win made Noah Lyles one of the stars of Oregon22, and he is back along with the two men who helped sweep the medals for the U.S. Lyles rocketed to a 19.31 to win the world title and take down Michael Johnson's 30-year-old AR, moving to No. 3 on the all-time world performer list. In his wake, Kenny Bednarek secured silver at 19.77, with Erriyon Knighton earning bronze in 19.80. Bednarek and Knighton are again among the medal favorites, but they will be going up against 20-year-old Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, who stunned with a 19.50 last month. Zharnel Hughes of Britain is another man with aspirations of completing the sprint double, and his 19.73 keeps him in the picture. The NCAA 100 champion Courtney Lindsey of Texas Tech is a precocious talent who has a PB of 19.85 to go with his 9.89 100 PB. Tarsis Orogot of Uganda and Alabama is another collegian who has potential to surprise, and Tokyo Olympics champion Andre De Grasse of Canada brings a 19.62 PB into the mix.
1st round: August 20, 4:25a Semis: August 22, 3:00p Final: August 24, 3:35p Team USATF: Bryce Deadmon, Quincy Hall, Vernon Norwood, WC Medal History: 26 medals - 11G, 9S, 6B Last Gold: 2022 – Michael Norman Last Medal: 2022 – gold, Michael Norman Absent last year's champion, American Michael Norman, this looks like a wide-open opportunity for world record holder and 2016 Olympic champion Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa. Van Niekerk is on the comeback trail after a devastating knee injury suffered while playing touch rugby, and he has put together a streak of six sub-45 efforts and a trio of Diamond League wins, topped by a season best 44.08 in Poland. Reigning Olympic champion Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas is a major roadblock for van Niekerk to negotiate, leading the 2023 world list at 43.74 and boasting a 43.48 PB that is second only to the world record holder's 43.03 in this field. Zambian youngster Muzala Samukonga blazed to a 43.91 at Gaborone in April and was second at the Oslo Diamond League meet, but he DNFed at the Silesia Diamond League meet and is a question mark. USATF champion Bryce Deadmon is having his best season ever and lowered his PB to 44.22 to win the U.S. title. Teammate Vernon Norwood has oodles of experience in major championships, but mainly on relays where he has won four Olympic and world golds since 2015. This is his third time to compete for individual glory after twice making the semis. Winner of the NCAA 400H for South Carolina in 2019, Quincy Hall ditched the barriers and claimed a third-place finish at the USATF Championships in a PB 44.41 to earn his first international berth. 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada earned silver at Oregon22 and still has some zip left in his legs at age 30, entering with a 2023 best of 44.50. Jamaica's Rusheen McDonald has never made a final in four Olympics and World Championships, but ran 44.03 in Hungary last month and has an outside shot at a medal.
1st round: August 22, 1:20p Semis: August 24, 2:50p Final: August 26, 2:30p Team USATF: Isaiah Harris, Bryce Hoppel, Clayton Murphy WC Medal History: 4 medals - 1G, 1S, 2B Last Gold: 2019 – Donavan Brazier Last Medal: 2019 - gold, Donavan Brazier Normally the defending champion would be a fair choice to medal, but Kenya's Emmanuel Korir has had a miserable 2023 and will have to show huge improvement to even make the final as he has a season best of only 1:47.71. That puts Algeria's silver medalist Djamel Sejati and Canada's bronze medalist Marco Arop at the top of the oddsmakers' lists, since both men have done very well thus far this year. Sedjati lowered his PB to 1:43.40 at Paris in June and added a 1:43.88 at Monaco last month to take fourth, while Arop nearly bettered his PB with a 1:43.30 in the Paris race. The fastest man in the field this year is Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi, who won the Paris affair in a PB 1:43.27 after clocking 1:43.32 in May at Nairobi. Another Algerian, Slimane Moula, has run 1:43.38, and France's Benjamin Robert finishes like a runaway train, entering with a PB 1:43.48. Bronze medalist at the 2022 World indoor Championships, USATF champion Bryce Hoppel is one of nine men who have dipped under 1:44 this year with a 1:43.95. 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Clayton Murphy has a PB of 1:42.93, one of the fastest in the field, but he needs to better his 2023 mark of 1:44.75 and run smart tactical races to make the final for the second time. Isaiah Harris was a semifinalist at the 2017 Worlds and took seventh at the 2022 Word Indoors.
1st round: August 19, 1:02p Semis: August 20, 11:35a Final: August 23, 3:15p Team USATF: Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, Joe Waskom WC Medal History: 6 medals - 1G, 2S, 3B Last Gold: 2007 – Bernard Lagat Last Medal: 2013 - silver, Matthew Centrowitz Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen has had one of the greatest seasons ever in 2023, and it ain't over yet. Favored in 2022, Ingebrigtsen was outkicked by Britain's Jake Wightman, but he won't have that problem this time around as Wightman is out with injury. The Olympic champion in Tokyo, Ingebrigtsen is still only 22 and has already secured his place in the record books. Thrice in 2023 he has gone sub-3:30, with the fastest outing a 3:27.14 at the Silesia Diamond League meet to put him at No. 4 on the all-time world performer list. Spain's Mohamed Katir is a worthy opponent with a PB of 3:28.76 and he earned bronze last time, while 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya was the silver medalist at Tokyo in 2021 and has a PB of 3:28.28. U.S. hopes run high with Yared Nuguse emerging as a potential world-beater based on his indoor exploits and a 3:29.02 at Oslo that made him the No. 2 American ever. Nuguse won the London Diamond League race and set an American indoor record of 3:33.22 en route to a mile AR of 3:47.38 at the Millrose Games in February. Cole Hocker was sixth at the Tokyo Games after winning NCAA gold for Oregon in 2021, and has run 3:32.14 this year, and Washington's Joe Waskom was the NCAA campion last year and the USATF and NCAA runner-up this season. Nine entrants have bettered 3:30 in 2023, but history has shown that anything can happen in tactical affairs at championship races. Britain's Josh Kerr is worthy of notice and is a savvy racer with a 3:29.05 PB.
1st round: August 19, 5:35a Final: August 22, 3:42p Team USATF: Benard Keter, Kenneth Rooks, Isaac Updike WC Medal History: 1 medal - 0G, 0S, 1B Last Gold: none Last Medal: 2017 - bronze, Evan Jager It's almost a foregone conclusion that the gold will go to either defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco or Oregon22 silver medalist and newly minted world record holder Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia, and the matchup promises fireworks. Girma took the WR with a 7:52.11 at Paris on June 9. The speedy Ethiopian also has a 3:29.51 PB in the 1500 and set a world indoor record in the flat 3000 with a 7:23.81 at Lievin, France, on February 15. El Bakkali has a full complement of medals over the past three World Championships, earning silver in 2017 and bronze in 2019 before capturing his first title last summer, and he is the reigning Olympic champion. At the Rabat Diamond League meet in May he lowered his PB to 7:56.68 to take over the No. 9 spot on the all-time world performer list. Getnet Wale of Ethiopia has been one spot off the podium at the last two global championships and will be in the medal mix here, along with Kenyans Simon Koech and Abraham Kibiwot. One of the most amazing recoveries from a mid-race fall ever saw Kenneth Rooks of BYU take the USATF title in a PB 8:16.78, and he will be joined on the U.S. squad by Tokyo finalist Benard Keter and Isaac Updike.
1st round: August 24, 1:00p Final: August 27, 2:10p Team USATF: Paul Chelimo, Sean McGorty, Abdihamid Nur WC Medal History: 4 medals - 1G, 2S, 1B Last Gold: 2007 – Bernard Lagat Last Medal: 2017 - bronze, Paul Chelimo Fourteen men have entered with times faster than 13:00, indicating both the improvement in training and the newest shoe technology. Defending champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway isn't one of those men, but only because he hasn't yet run a 5000 this season. Ingebrigtsen has a PB of 12:48.45 and set a world best of 7:54.10 for two miles at Paris in June. He has superior finishing speed and will be tough to beat, but Olympic champion and world record holder Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda has the tools to do just that. Cheptegei set the WR of 12:35.36 in 2020 and has run 12:41.61 this year, as well as earning a bronze medal in the 10k race at the World Cross Country Championships in Australia. Ethiopia's Berihu Aregawi won the Lausanne Diamond League meet with a world-leading 12:40.45 and was second at Monaco in 12:42.58, and he is in search of his first World Championships medal. Jacob Krop of Kenya took the silver in Eugene and has a 2023 best of 12:46.02, while bronze medalist Oscar Chelimo of Uganda is a bit of an unknown quantity with no 5000 races this year. Twice an Olympic medalist, earning silver in 2016 and bronze in 2021, Paul Chelimo is the most experienced member of Team USATF's trio. Chelimo was also the 2017 World Championships bronze medalist and has a PB of 12:57.55 from 2018. He is an aggressive racer who has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. USATF champion Abdihamid Nur was 11th at Oregon22 and won the NCAA title for Northern Arizona last year, and Sean McGorty was one place behind Nur at the Worlds. The 2018 NCAA champ for Stanford, McGorty set a PB f 13:02.13 in Belgium last month.
Final: August 20, 12:25p Team USATF: Woody Kincaid, Joe Klecker, Sean McGorty WC Medal History: none Last Gold: none Last Medal: none World record holder Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda has won the past two World Championships and was the silver medalist at Tokyo. He has not contested a 10K in 2023 but his 26:11.00 PB should be a warning to all who dare enter his domain. Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia leads the entrants with a 26:50.66, just over a second ahead of countryman Selemon Barega, the Tokyo gold medalist. Woody Kincaid and Joe Klecker went 1-2 at the USATF Championships and are 3-4 on the entry list. Kincaid was 15th at Tokyo two years ago and has a best of 27:06.37, while Klecker clocked 27:07.57 for his PB in March and was ninth at Eugene last year. Canada's Moh Ahmed is another North American with high hopes of a medal based on his 26:34.14 PB and a silver medal at Tokyo in the 5000. Ahmed, who ran collegiately for Wisconsin, was sixth last year in the 10,000 and fifth in the 5000. Sean McGorty placed 12th in 2022 and has a best of 27:18.15 from last year. The U.S. has never won a medal in this event, but there's no time like the present.
Final: August 27, 1:00a Team USATF: Elkanah Kibet, Nico Montañez, Zach Panning WC Medal History: 2 medals - 1G, 0S, 1B Last Gold: 1993 – Mark Plaatjes Last Medal: 1993 – gold, Mark Plaatjes It's now been 30 years since Mark Plaatjes made a heroic push late in the race at Stuttgart to win Team USATF's only World Championships marathon gold. Based on the quality of the field, another trip to the top of the podium may have to wait. Defending champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia has a PB of 2:03:39 and has run 2:04:59 this year to take third at London, but Kenya's Timothy Kiplagat leads all entrants with a 2:03:50 that placed him second at Rotterdam. Coming in with the second-fastest time is Kenya's Joshua Belet, second at Hamburg in 2:04:33. Making his fourth straight appearance for Team USATF, Elkanah Kibet sports a PB of 2:10:43. Kibet was 24th last year and 16th in 2017. Nico Montañez and Zach Panning both have gone sub-2:10 in their careers, with Panning slightly faster at 2:0:28 and Montañez at 2:09:55. The flat course in Budapest may produce fast times, depending on the weather conditions, but if there's any hint of less-than-optimal race day temps medals will be up for grabs.
Final: August 19, 2:50a Team USATF: Nick Christie WC Medal History: none Last Gold: none Last Medal: none Japan went 1-2 at Eugene and both medalists are back. Two-time gold medalist Toshikazu Yamanishi won in 1:19:07 last year, almost two minutes off his PB, and Koki Ikeda claimed silver in 1:19:14. Ikeda, also the Tokyo silver medalist, has a PB of 1:17:25 and walked 1:18:36 this year to win his national championships. China's Jun Zhang leads all entrants with a 1:17:38, set in winning the National GP in April at Taicang, but hasn't performed exceptionally well in his other three outings. Last year's sixth-place finisher, Caio Bonfim of Brazil, was the 2017 bronze medalist and won the prestigious La Coruña race in a national record 1:18:29 on June 3. Perseus Karlström of Sweden walked to bronze at Oregon22, matching the medal he earned at Doha in 2019, and Kenya's Samuel Gathimba, fourth in 2022, is also back, albeit ranked in the lower half of the field. A pair of Ecuadorians, David Hurtado and Brian Pintado, may also figure in the top six. USATF champion Nick Christie has dominated the domestic scene for a while with 15 national titles, and he was 31st last year.
Final: August 24, 1:00a Team USATF: none WC Medal History: none Last Gold: none Last Medal: none All three medalists from last year's inaugural 35k event are back, led by Italy's Massimo Stano. Stano won in 2:23:14 at Oregon22, just one second ahead of Japan's Masatora Kawano in a thrilling finish that had Stano grabbing a flag from a spectator while holding off Kawano's final push. Stano has not walked 35k yet this year, while Kawano has gone 2:26:51. Bronze medalist Perseus Karlström of Sweden was a double walks medalist in Eugene, clocking 2:23:44 for the longer distance, and he also will be making his season debut at the distance. The fastest entrant on paper this year is China's Xianghong He, who won at Huangshan in March with a national record 2:22:55. He was fifth at last year's Championships, eight seconds behind Ecuador's Brian Pintado. Another Japanese entrant, Tomohiro Noda, was ninth in 2022 and has gone 2:23:13 to set a national record this year. No Americans are entered in this event.
1st round: August 20, 7:05a Semis: August 21, 2:05p Final: August 21, 3:40p Team USATF: Freddie Crittenden, Grant Holloway, Daniel Roberts, Cordell Tinch WC Medal History: 25 medals - 11G, 6S, 8B Last Gold: 2022 – Grant Holloway Last Medal: 2022 - gold, Grant Holloway; silver, Trey Cunningham Always a strong event for the U.S. contingent, this year should be no different as two-time defending champion Grant Holloway and breakout star Cordell Tinch lead the way. Holloway is almost unbeatable when he avoids late-race troubles, and his 12.81 PB makes him the second-fastest man ever. Tinch crashed the party this season with a stunning string of races that saw him ride ample winds to conference and NCAA II titles in sub-13 fashion before taking the world lead with a 12.96 at Fayetteville on June 23. Tinch, who legend has it was a cell phone salesman not too long ago, has all the tools to make the podium. So, too, do American teammates Daniel Roberts and Freddie Crittenden. Roberts is a two-time USATF champion, winning this year in 13.05, and shares a 13.00 PB with Crittenden, but he has been star-crossed in the past two World Championships and suffered DQs in both. Crittenden won the NACAC title in 2022 and was the USATF indoor 60H winner in February. Jamaica poses a big obstacle for a U.S. medal sweep, though, in the form of world leader Rasheed Broadbell, a 12.94 man, and Olympic champion Hansle Parchment, who boasts the same PB. Last year's bronze medalist, Asier Martinez of Spain, is not back so that clears a path for Japan's Shunsuke Izumiya to contend for the country's first medal in the event. Izumiya has run 13.04 thus far but has zero margin for error. A pair of fast Frenchmen could also figure, with Wilhem Belocian and Just Kwaou-Mathey sub-13.10 in 2023.
1st round: August 20, 5:25a Semis: August 21, 1:35p Final: August 23, 3:50p Team USATF: CJ Allen, Trevor Bassitt, Rai Benjamin WC Medal History: 17 medals - 7G, 6S, 4B Last Gold: 2009 - Kerron Clement Last Medal: 2022 - silver, Rai Benjamin; bronze, Trevor Bassitt Wil anyone be able to take down the Viking king, world record holder Karsten Warholm of Norway? The Norwegian wasn't able to defend his 2017 and 2019 titles last year in a comeback from injury, placing only seventh, but he has roared back to the top of the world in 2023 with a best of 46.51 and is undefeated in four races with three going sub-47. His two biggest foes, Rai Benjamin and Brazil's Alison dos Santos, will be breathing hard down his neck and any of the three could end up with gold. Benjamin has seen limited action this year but looked superb in winning the USATF title in 46.62, the second-fastest time ever by an American. Dos Santos won the title at Oregon22 in 46.29 and is also on the road back from injury. He has only run one hurdles race this year, a 47.66 for second at Monaco, but never count him out. A bit of a surprise in 2022 when he earned the bronze with a PB of 47.39, Trevor Bassitt is rounding back into form and was third at the USATF Championships. The man who finished second in that race, hard-charging CJ Allen, is enjoying his finest season ever and has a best of 47.58. Other medal contenders include Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands, who is inconsistent but placed fourth at Tokyo and the 2019 Worlds and has a best of 47.08, and Jamaican youngster Roshawn Clarke, who tied the world U20 record with a 47.85. As always in a race with 10 barriers to navigate, anything can happen and the potential for a surprise medalist is great.
Qualifying: August 20, 4:35a Final: August 22, 1:55p Team USATF: JuVaughn Harrison, Shelby McEwen, Vernon Turner WC Medal History: 4 medals - 2G, 1S, 1B Last Gold: 2011 – Jesse Williams Last Medal: 2011 - gold, Jesse Williams Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim has won three straight world titles and is poetry in motion when he is at his best. Long thought to be the man who could challenge the longstanding world record and become the second man to clear 8-0, Barshim is running out of time at age 31. Pushing him all the way is USATF champion JuVaughn Harrison, who couldn't be more different from Barshim stylistically. Harrison is a helicoptering high-flier who defies physics and somehow manages to clear elevated heights, as evidenced by his 2.35/7-8.5 season best. He has a solid shot to become the first U.S. medalist in 12 years. South Korea's Sanghyeok Woo earned silver last year and has gone over 2.36/7-8.75 in his career, while Ukraine's Andrii Protsenko, the bronze medalist in 2022, has a 2.40/7-10.5 PB but is also battling Father Time at age 35. Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi famously shared the Tokyo gold with Barshim and is a crowd favorite with his half-beard and entertaining antics. Shelby McEwen was fifth behind Tamberi last year and has a PB of 2.33/7-7.75, the same as teammate Vernon Turner, the NCAA indoor champion for Oklahoma in 2022 and a collegiate runner-up indoors and outdoors this season. Germany's Tobias Potye and Hamish Kerr of New Zealand are also worth watching, sharing a PB of 2.34/7-8.
Qualifying: August 23, 4:15a Final: August 26, 1:25p Team USATF: Zach Bradford, Zach McWhorter, Chris Nilsen WC Medal History: 7 medals - 3G, 2S, 2B Last Gold: 2019 – Sam Kendricks Last Medal: 2022 – silver, Chris Nilsen No one has quite dominated an event over the past three years like Sweden's Armand Duplantis has in the pole vault. Winner of the Tokyo gold and the Oregon22 title, as well as the 2022 World Indoor Championships, Duplantis has taken the event to new heights by raising the world record repeatedly. His best is 6.22/20-4.75, six inches higher than anyone else in the field. He isn't invincible, though, losing to American Chris Nilsen at the Monaco Diamond League meet on July 21 to end an unbeaten skein that dated back to last September. Nilsen took silver at the Olympic Games and at Oregon22 and was the bronze medalist at the 2022 World Indoors. He set an American indoor record of 6.05/19-10.25 in France last year and is a steady vaulter who rarely falters. A pair of Zachs, Bradford and McWhorter, snagged the other two U.S. team spots and will be hard-pressed to mount the podium without significant improvements in their PBs. EJ Obiena has been a revelation as the Oregon22 bronze medalist and national record holder for the Philippines. He joined the 6m club this year, something Australia's Kurtis Marschall also hopes to achieve after going over a PB 5.95/19-6.25 in mid-July. Norway's Sondre Guttormsen was the European indoor champion and added NCAA indoor gold for Princeton with a 6.00/19-8.25 leap but has been subpar of late.
Qualifying: August 23, 5:15a Final: August 24, 1:30p Team USATF: Marquis Dendy, Jarrion Lawson, Will Williams WC Medal History: 19 medals - 8G, 6S, 5B Last Gold: 2011 – Dwight Phillips Last Medal: 2019 – silver, Jeff Henderson An event that is enduring a cyclical lull right now, the long jump is one of the most wide-open at the Championships. China's Jianan Wang exploded with an 8.36/27-5.25 on his final attempt to take gold last year, the shortest winning distance since 2003. Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece always looks like he is poised for a huge effort, and he won Tokyo gold before earning silver last year. With a PB of 8.60/28-2.75, Tentoglou is seen by some as a heavy medal favorite, but a pair of Indian athletes, Jeswin Aldrin and Murali Sreeshankar, are right with him atop the 2023 world list. Multi-talented Simon Ehammer of Switzerland is a good decathlete and very good long jumper, taking the bronze in 2022, and 2019 world champion Tajay Gayle of Jamaica is coming back into form. Gayle has a PB of 8.69/28-6.25, the best in the field, but is more than a foot behind that thus far in 2023. 2017 bronze medalist Jarrion Lawson and last year's sixth-place finisher, Marquis Dendy, headline U.S. hopes, along with Will Williams. Dendy won the USATF title and has a best of 8.34/27-4.5 this season, while Lawson hopes to get near his 8.58/28-1.75 PB from 2016. Williams was the USATF indoor champion and was an Oregon22 qualifier. He won the 2018 NCAA indoor gold for Texas A&M and has a PB of 8.23/27-0. Also of note, Jamaicans Carey McLeod and Wayne Pinnock went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships for Arkansas.
Qualifying: August 19, 1:35p Final: August 21, 1:40p Team USATF: Chris Benard, Will Claye, Donald Scott WC Medal History: 15 medals - 7G, 4S, 4B Last Gold: 2019 - Christian Taylor Last Medal: 2019 - gold, Christian Taylor; silver, Will Claye Olympic and world champion Pedro Pablo Pichardo of Portugal will have his hands full with youngster Jaydon Hibbert of Jamaica, who shattered the world U20 record and won NCAA indoor and outdoor titles for Arkansas. Pichardo has a PB of 18.08/59-4 and is a three-time medalist, but Hibbert has gone a world-leading 17.87/58-7.5 and has tremendous potential for improvement. Throw Burkina Faso's Hugues Fabrice Zango into the mix and you have a trio of 18m+ candidates if conditions cooperate. Zango was the silver medalist last year and took bronze at Tokyo, and he has an indoor PB of 18.07/59-3.5. Yaming Zhu of China swapped places with Zango on the podium, earning silver at Tokyo and bronze at Eugene, but his best in 2023 is only 17.36/56-11.5. The man with the best PB in the field? Four-time medalist Will Claye. Claye earned bronze in 2011 and 2013 and silver in 2017 and 2019, and he has spanned 18.14/59-6.25 in his career. At age 32, Claye is in the twilight of his career, but he is a consummate championship performer with nine global medals. Donald Scott is the USATF champion and has won nine national titles to go with his World Indoors bronze from 2022, while Chris Benard is competing in his third World Championships and was sixth in 2017. Cuba has a great triple jumping tradition and features Lazaro Martinez and Cristian Napoles.
Qualifying: August 19, 4:30a Final: August 19, 2:35p Team USATF: Josh Awotunde, Ryan Crouser, Joe Kovacs, Payton Otterdahl WC Medal History: 23 medals - 10G, 8S, 5B Last Gold: 2022 – Ryan Crouser Last Medal: 2022 - gold, Ryan Crouser; silver, Joe Kovacs; bronze, Josh Awotunde Completing an historic sweep of the medals, a first in World Championships shot put annals, Team USATF returns all three medalists and adds another member of the 22m club to the roster. Ryan Crouser has dominated the event of late, smashing world records left and right, and he reigns as Olympic and world champion. Crouser blasted a 23.56/77-3.75 to win the USATF LA GP in May and always looks ready to go even farther. Two-time world champion Joe Kovacs was the silver medalist last year to raise his medal count to four, and he holds the No. 2 spot on the all-time world performer list behind Crouser with a 23.23/76-2.75 to win the Diamond League title last September. Bronze medalist Josh Awotunde nailed a PB 22.29/73-1.75 to earn that medal in 2022 and was the USATF Championships runner-up at 22.10/72-6.25. A measly one centimeter behind Awotunde was Payton Otterdahl, 10th at Tokyo and fully recovered from hip surgery last September. Danger looms in the shape of New Zealand's Tom Walsh, the 2017 champion and No. 6 on the all-time world performer list at 22.90/75-1.75. His teammate, Jacko Gill, was a youth superstar and is just now coming into his own in the senior ranks with a 22.12/72-7 PB. Brazil's Darlan Romani was the world indoor champion last year and could sneak into the frame should any of the favorites fall short, while Jamaica's Rajindra Campbell and Italy's Zane Weir are newcomers to the 22m club.
Qualifying: August 19, 1:10p Final: August 21, 2:30p Team USATF: Sam Mattis, Turner Washington, Brian Williams WC Medal History: 3 medals - 1G, 1S, 1B Last Gold: 1999 – Anthony Washington Last Medal: 2017 – bronze, Mason Finley A meeting of the "monsters" pits Oregon22 gold and silver medalists Kristjan Ceh and Mykolas Alekna against Olympic champion and 2019 world champion Daniel Stahl, all of whom have PBs of 71m or better. Depending on the winds in the new Budapest arena, the meet record could be in great danger from any or all of that trio. Ceh, a Slovenian giant who stands 6-9, leads the 2023 world list at 71.86/235-9 and he set the Championships record at 71.13/233-4 last year. Lithuania's Alekna was the European champion last year after his silver at the Worlds, and his dad, Virgilijus won two golds in 2003 and 2005. For good measure, his older brother, Martynas, is also in the field and has a best of 67.23/220-7. Another mountain of a man, Sweden's Stahl has the same PB as Ceh at 71.86/235-9 and has four meets at 70m or better in 2023. Speaking of family affairs, USATF and NCAA champion Turner Washington's dad, Anthony, won the 1999 world gold and the son would love nothing more than to add a global medal to the trophy case. Sam Mattis was 11th in 2022 and took eighth at Tokyo, and Brian Williams is competing in his third World Championships. Other top contenders include Austria's Lukas Weisshaidinger and Alex Rose of American Samoa, two more 70m+ throwers.
Qualifying: August 19, 6:00a Final: August 20, 11:50a Team USATF: Daniel Haugh, Rudy Winkler, Alex Young WC Medal History: none Last Gold: none Last Medal: none The host nation's best chance for a medal is Bence Halasz, who comes in as the fifth-ranked entrant and owner of a bronze from 2019. He has a tough task ahead of him, though, with five-time champion Pawel Fajdek and fellow Pole Wojciech Nowicki, the Tokyo gold medalist, seeking a 1-2 finish. Fajdek is No. 10 on the all-time world performer list with a PB of 83.93/275-4, but that was in 2015. His 2023 best is 78.10/256-3 to take second at the Polish Championships behind Nowicki. Four-time medalist Nowicki would love to finally mount the top of the podium and is well-poised to do so with a season best of 81.92/268-9 and three 80m+ meets. Could this be the year an American finally steps up and wins the country's first medal? Rudy Winkler looks like he can be the man, boasting an American record of 82.71/271-4 from 2021 and a season best of 80.88/265-4. Winkler was sixth last year and placed seventh at Tokyo, and he is enjoying his best year internationally with three Diamond League runner-up finishes. Last year's USATF champion, Daniel Haugh, was eighth in 2022 and is nearing his top form again. He could be in the picture if he beats his PB of 80.18/263-1. Alex Young will need a big improvement to move up from 12th at Eugene and is making his third World Championships appearance. Eivind Henriksen brought home bronze for Norway at Oregon22 but isn't in the same kind of shape yet in 2023. Ukraine's Mykhaylo Kokhan is a prodigious talent and along with Canada's Ethan Katzberg will be pushing for top six finishes.
Qualifying: August 25, 4:10a Final: August 27, 2:20p Team USATF: Ethan Dabbs, Curtis Thompson, Capers Williamson WC Medal History: 2 medals - 0G, 1S, 1B Last Gold: none Last Medal: 2007 - bronze, Breaux Greer Two-time reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada has a knack for big throws when it counts and brings a PB of 93.07/305-4 that is the best in the field. India's Olympic champion, Neeraj Chopra, became an instant national celebrity after Tokyo and would only increase his fame with a World Championships gold to add to the silver he earned in 2022. A bronze medalist last year and a silver medalist in 2017, Czechia's Jakub Vadlejch leads the world list at 89.51/293-8, with Germany's Julian Weber nipping at his heels. Weber was fourth last year before winning the European title. With only one competition in 2023, Olympic and Worlds fifth-place finisher Arshad Nasheem of Pakistan is a bit of an unknown quantity this time around, but his 90.18/295-10 PB earns him respect, nevertheless. Curtis Thompson is the top American and placed 11th last year but will need to match his PB of 87.70/287-9 to have any hope of breaking the U.S. medal drought that is now at 16 years. USATF runner-up Capers Williamson is making his international debut, and 2022 national champion Ethan Dabbs is making his second trip.
Day 1: August 25, 4:05a Day 2: August 26, 4:05a Team USATF: Kyle Garland, Harrison Williams, Zach Ziemek WC Medal History: 12 medals - 9G, 1S, 2B Last Gold: 2015 - Ashton Eaton Last Medal: 2022 – bronze, Zach Ziemek World record holder and defending champion Kevin Mayer of France hasn't completed a decathlon this year and may be hampered by injuries, but that doesn't dampen the quality of this field much. Olympic champion Damian Warner of Canada is one of only four men ever to surpass 9000 points and he has a solid season best of 8619 that earned him the runner-up spot at Götzis in May. A superb sprinter/hurdler/jumper, Warner will be tough to beat if he is in top shape. NCAA champion Leo Neugebauer of Germany was 10th at Oregon22 but has made dramatic improvements and sits atop the world list at 8836. Canada's Pierce LePage was the silver medalist last year and won at Götzis with 8700 points. Last year's bronze medalist, Zach Ziemek, leads a very strong American trio that features USATF champion Harrison Williams and NCAA silver medalist Kyle Garland. Both men have scored 8630 in 2023, and Garland has a PB of 8720 set in winning the USATF title in 2022. Ziemek's PB of 8676 took him onto the podium at Eugene and he is still improving in several individual events. Attrition always plays a big part in combined events competition, so keep an eye on 2019 world champion Niklas Kaul of Germany and Norway's Markus Rooth and Sander Skotheim.