Mondo Duplantis (© Getty Images)
Two of the biggest stars in track and field had to wait until late in the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 schedule to compete, but they will be in the spotlight Sunday as the first World Athletics Championships on U.S. soil comes to a close.
Athing Mu of the U.S. and Mondo Duplantis of Sweden were 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalists and will be going for their first outdoor World Athletics Championships gold medals at the reimagined Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
Mu is a strong favorite to win the women’s 800m when it kicks off at 6:35 p.m. Duplantis, the indoor and outdoor world record-holder is an even bigger favorite in the men’s pole vault, which begins at 5:25 p.m.
Mu is the world leader in the women’s 800m this season at 1 minute, 57.01 seconds. She is also the American record-holder at 1:55.04.
Raevyn Rogers of the U.S. was the bronze medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the silver medalist at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. She’s one of five iconic University of Oregon figures whose likeness is on the 10-story Hayward Tower at the track. Rogers has a season best of 1:57.96 from the U.S. Championships.
Ajee Wilson of the U.S. was the bronze medalist at the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships, and was the gold medalist in March at the indoor World Athletics Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. She has the second-fastest personal best in the field at 1:55.61 and has run 1:57.23 this year.
Great Britian’s Keely Hodgkinson was the silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Her personal best is 1:55.88 and has run 1:57.20 this year. Kenya’s Mary Moora is ranked third in the world behind Mu and Wilson at 1 minute, 57.45 seconds, just ahead of Hodgkinson and Rogers on this year’s world list.
Jamaica’s Natoya Goule (1:56.15 career best) and Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji, who has run 1:58.16 have both looked strong in the heats.
Uganda Halimah Nakaayi was the gold medalist in Doha, but did not qualify for the final, nor did Great Britian’s Jemma Reekie, who was edged out for bronze by Rogers in Tokyo.
The men’s pole vault is expected to be a coronation for Duplantis, and why not? The Swedish superstar has done everything except win an outdoor World Athletics Championships gold medal. Sam Kendricks of the U.S., who is out with an injury, was the outdoor gold medalist in 2017 and 2019.
Duplantis raised the world record to 6.20m when he won the indoor World Athletics Championships gold medal in Belgrade, Serbia. On June 30, he improved the outdoor world record to 6.16m. He is also the reigning Olympic champion.
Chris Nilsen of the U.S. won the silver medal in Tokyo. Thiago Braz of Brazil was the bronze medalist in Tokyo, and won the 2016 Olympic gold medal on home soil at Rio de Janeiro. France’s Renaud Lavillenie was the Olympic gold medalist in 2012 in London, and the silver medalists in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
Mennno Vloon of Netherlands has a season best of 5.91m, and a lifetime best of 5.96m. Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines has cleared 5.92m this year, just off his personal best of 5.93m. Germany’s Bo Kanda Lita Baehre has cleared 5.90m this year,
WOMEN’S 100-METER HURDLES (Final, 7 p.m., Semifinals 5:10 a.m.)
This was a battle of attrition in the first round as Nia Ali of the U.S, crashed out in her preliminary heat, as did former Oregon Duck standout Alaysha Johnson of the U.S., who was second on the world list this year at 12.35 seconds.
Keni Harrison of the U.S., the world-record holder at 12.20, is the world leader this year at 12.34. Harrison is seeking her first major global outdoor gold medal. She was second to teammate Ali at the 2019 World Athletics Championships, and was second to Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Camacho-Quinn has run 12.37 seconds this year.
Alia Armstrong, the NCAA Outdoor Championships winner for LSU, is the second American in the semifinals with a personal best of 12.47 seconds. Jamaica’s Danielle Williams was the 2015 World Athletics Championships gold medalist, and the 2019 bronze medalist. Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan is ranked fourth. She re-set her Africa area record from 12.41 seconds to 12.40 seconds in the first round. Jamaica’s Britany Anderson is ranked sixth in the world at 12.45 seconds, and teammate Megan Tapper was the bronze medalist in Tokyo.
DECATHLON (Day 2 begins at 9:35 a.m.)
Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens-Delerme, the NCAA indoor pentathlon champion and outdoor decathlon champion is the leader entering the final five events with 4,606 points, followed by Canada’ Pierce LePage with 4,485 points.
Zachery Ziemek of the U.S. is ranked fourth in the world this year and is in third place with 4,469 points. Kyle Garland, the collegiate record-holder at 8,720 points is in fourth place with 4,413 points.
Canada’s Damian Warner, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and favorite, was leading after four events but suffered an injury in the 400m, the final event of the opening day and dropped out.
Australia's Ashley Maloney, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist, is in fifth place with 4,378 points. Kevin Mayer of France is the world record-holder and was the silver medalist in Tokyo. He’s in sixth place with 4,372 points.
WOMEN’S 4x400-METER RELAY (Final, 7:50 p.m.)
This could be another chance to see Sydney McLaughlin, who broke her own world record in Friday’s 400m hurdles final when she ran 50.68 seconds.
She was part of the U.S. 4x400m relay gold-medal teams at the 2019 World Athletics Championships and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Dalilah Muhammad, who was third in the 400m hurdles Friday and ran on both of those gold-medal winning relay teams, could also be an option for the U.S.
If the U.S. gets a medal, it will be the 20th and final medal for Allyson Felix, who ran in Saturday’s preliminary heat.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Felix won the bronze medal in the 400m, and was the only 400m runner on the U.S. team that ran in the final to win the gold medal.
MEN’S 4x400-METER RELAY (Final, 7:35 p.m.)
The U.S. has won this event in seven of the past eight World Athletics Championships, and is a huge favorite to win again. Trinidad and Tobago won the gold medal in 2017 to end a streak of six straight U.S. wins before the Americans rebounded and won again in Doha.
Michael Norman of the U.S. won his first 400m World Athletics Championships medal of his career Friday when he won gold. Champion Allison was fourth in that race, and the two of them lead Team USA.
MEN’S 5,000 METERS (Final, 6:05 p.m.)
Uganda Joseph Cheptegei is the world record-holder in this event, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist. On Sunday, he successfully defended his 10,000m World Athletics Championships title.
Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris is the two-time defending World Athletics Championships gold medalist. Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega was the silver medalist in Doha in 2019, and Canada’s Mo Ahmed, who runs for the Portland-bases Bowerman Track Club, was the bronze medalist in Doha and the silver medalist in Tokyo.
Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir (12 minutes, 46.33 seconds) and Jacob Krop (12:46.79) have the top two times in the world this year, set at the June 9 Rome Diamond League meet. Ethiopia’s Berihu Aregawi is third in the world rankings, having run 12 minutes, 50.05 seconds in the Saturday section of the Prefontaine Classic to set the Hayward Field record. Yomif Kejelcha, the 2014 World U20 champion at Hayward Field, is ranked fourth in the world, and American Grant Fisher will be a contender, as will Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who took the silver in Tuesday’s 1,500m. Ingebrigtsen ran what was then a world-leading time of 13:02.03 in May.
WOMEN’S LONG JUMP (Final, 5:50 p.m.)
Germany’s Malaika Mihambo is the defending champion from Doha, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist and second in the world this year at 7.09m.
Serbia’s Ivana Vuleta was the indoor World Athletics Championships gold medalist when she jumped 7.06m. She was the bronze medalist at the 2013 and 2015 outdoor Championships, and won the bronze medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Australia’s Brooke Buschkuehl is the world leader at 7.13m, and Sweden’s Khaddi Sagnia is ranked fifth in the world at 6.95m.
Nigeria’s Ese Brume was the bronze medalist in Doha and Tokyo, and is ranked sixth in the world at 6.92m. Jasmine Moore of the United States was the NCAA indoor and outdoor champion for Florida this year, and Quanesha Burks of the U.S. was fifth at the indoor World Athletics Championships in March.
