Today is one of those days where I'm going to use my blog as an opportunity to indulge myself and talk about a topic I'm sure very few (if any) of you care about. However, I've been waiting all summer for the Track & Field World Championships. About two weeks ago I paid my $15 to watch the webcast live from Korea, even though I have no intention of missing any of the TV coverage. (Hint, if you are a track & field fan, buy the webcast. That way, you can actually see some field events.)
Anyway, I've decided that instead of a preview, I'm going to take it one step further and pick the winner in all 47 events. Since they're split almost evenly down the board (24 men, 23 women), I'm breaking this up into two posts. Today it's the women. Tomorrow the men.
100 m: Carmelita Jeter, USA-The Jamaicans are strong and Bulgaria's Ivet Lalova has a chance to medal, but Jeter has the best time in the world this year and has looked good in the European meets all season.
200 m: Allyson Felix, USA-Jeter actually has the best time in the world in the 200, too, but this is Felix's event. She's looking for her fourth straight World Championship.
400 m: Amantle Montsho, Botswana-Felix is going for a 200-400 double and, since the 400's first, has a chance to do it. Defending champion Sanya Richards-Ross has finally rounded back into form and the Russians are always good, but Montsho's ready for a breakout performance.
800 m: Mariya Savinova, Russia-This is one of the most wide-open events on the entire program. The top three times in the world all belong to Russians, and Savinova's 1:56.95 is the best.
1500 m: Maryam Yusuf Jamal, Bahrain-Jamal is the reigning World and Olympic champion, so she's the pick, but the 1500's also wide open.
5000 m: Vivian Cheruiyot, Kenya-The women's 5000, however, has one of the clearest favorites in any event. Cheruiyot, the defending champion, has dominated this event this season.
10,000 m: Linet Masai, Kenya-This is a hard one because the 10,000 is where the Kenya-Ethiopia rivalry is at its strongest. Cheruiyot wants to double, but Masai is the defending champ.
Marathon: Edna Kiplagat, Kenya-To pick the winner of a marathon, you might as well pull a name out of a hat. Kiplagat finished third at the London Marathon and has the fastest time in the field, so I'll go with her.
100 m Hurdles: Sally Pearson, Australia-The Americans are always strong in this event, but Pearson, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist, has been a world-beater this year. She's the class of the field.
400 m Hurdles: Kaliese Spencer, Jamaica-This should be one of the best women's events. Jamaican Melaine Walker is the defending champion, but American Lashinda Demus and Russia's Natalya Antyukh are also strong. Spencer is the only one that's sub-53 this year, though.
3000 m Steeplechase: Milcah Chemos, Kenya-It's not even fair how much Chemos has dominated the women's steeplechase this year. It would be a surprise to see anyone else on the top step of the podium.
Long Jump: Darya Klishina, Russia-American Brittany Reese is the two-time defending champion and has the best jump in the world this year, but I like looking at Darya Klishina, who happens to be the No. 2 seed.
Triple Jump: Yargeris Savigne, Cuba-This one also has the makings of an incredibly competitive event. Kazakhstan's Olga Rypakova and Ukraine's Olha Saladuha are my picks to complete the medals stand, but they're both extremely capable of knocking off the defending champion.
High Jump: Anna Chicherova, Russia-It pains me to pick against Blanka Vlasic, but now we at least know why she's struggled this year. Unlike Blanka, Chicherova's healthy.
Pole Vault: Fabiana Murer, Brazil-All of the experts are picking American Jenn Suhr. I'm not sure why. Murer was the best in the world last year and has been just as good this year. And world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva wants to redeem herself after no-heighting in Berlin, when Anna Rogowska of Poland won.
Shot Put: Valerie Adams, New Zealand-Adams, the class of the event, is looking for a shot put three-peat. Nadezhda Ostapchuk of Belarus, the 2005 champ, has the best throw in the world this year, though. American Jillian Camarena-Williams could medal.
Discus: Li Yanfeng, China-Li's best mark this season is almost two meters further than the rest of the field. This has been a close event on the Diamond League circuit all season, though.
Hammer Throw: Betty Heidler, Germany-Heidler, who won in 2007 but not in Berlin two years ago, has the four furthest throws in the world this year, including a world record 79.42 meters in May. It's her event to lose.
Javelin: Barbora Spotakova, Czech Republic-One of the best ever in the event, Spotakova is the world leader in 2011. However, Christina Obergfoll of Germany has beaten her five times in six meets this season.
20 km Walk: Olga Kaniskina, Russia-Kaniskina is looking for her third straight World Championship, but fellow Russians Vera Sokolova and Anisya Kirdyapkina are Nos. 1 and 2 in the world. A Russian sweep is possible.
Heptathlon: Jessica Ennis, Great Britain-If she performs up to her ability, nobody can beat Ennis. A second straight World Championship will solidify her status as the clear favorite at her home Olympics next year.
4x100 m Relay: United States-Getting the baton around the track is always a problem, though. If it proves to be one again, the pick is Jamaica. It'll probably be close anyway.
4x400 m Relay: United States-Russia is also very good and will make it a close race, but I'm not going to bet against a relay team that includes Sanya Richards-Ross, Allyson Felix and Lashinda Demus.
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