Mondo Duplantis in qualifying at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 (© Getty Images)
One glorious day before it’s all over. Nine gold medals to be decided, starting with the historic first-ever men’s 35km road walk and concluding, more traditionally, with the men’s and women’s 4x400m relays. To flip the old adage about weddings, something new, something old and in between someone’s bound to be feeling blue.
There’s three distinct phases to day 10 in Eugene: the early morning road race walk down on Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard outside Autzen stadium; a morning session entirely devoted to the decathlon; and, the afternoon session closing the show.
Ready? Set? Let’s go.
Full daily highlights at a glance
How high will Mondo go?
If 400m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin gives you the near-certainty that the world record will fall every time she competes, then Mondo Duplantis is the next most likely.
Just this year, the 22-year-old master of the pole vault has gone higher outdoors than anyone previously had – 6.16m at the Stockholm WDL - and higher overall than anyone previously had with his outright world record 6.20m to win the gold medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade22. While others struggled with the swirling winds in qualifying, Duplantis cleared 5.75m with an ease suggesting he will go much higher in the final.
Mondo, of course, competes for Sweden but with his mixed heritage – Swedish from his mother, US from his father – he is bound to be the most popular man in Hayward Field on day 10 if he goes for a new world record.
First, he has to win. Pole vault is notorious for throwing up no-heights or sub-par performances and it happens to every vaulter some time. If the blues come to Duplantis in the final, Chris Nilsen looks the man most likely to challenge. He has gone to 6.05m in 2022, so he has no fear of big heights.
Notwithstanding all that, the gold medal is still most likely heading Sweden’s way.
Mu, Moraa to battle out 800?
No shortage of drama in the women’s 800 so far. Falls, appeals, counter-appeals and reinstatements – and all that just from the first round! The final should bring us back to basics again. Perhaps.
When Athing Mu won the Olympic final in Tokyo last year it seemed we were looking at a future dominant performer in the event. Maybe we still are, but a fair bit has changed since then.
Mary Moraa has emerged. From a similar 400m background as Mu, the Kenyan has switched her focus to 800m with dramatic effect. Her progress to the final here has been interesting, to say the least, with multiple changes of pace in both heat and semi. Nonetheless, she looks the goods.
Tokyo silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson certainly hasn’t gone away and 2019 world junior champion Diribe Welteji has been impressive here. Throw in experienced championship performers in Ajee Wilson, Raevyn Rogers and Natoya Goule and it looks like we’re in for a great final.
Can Cheptegei double?
Joshua Cheptegei made no bones a couple of years back about being ambitious to succeed Mo Farah as the world’s dominant track distance runner. Having won the 10,000m on day three, a win in the 5000m here would be a step towards achieving that goal.
Cheptegei looked to have recovered well when he raced in the heats, but this is a loaded field and the relative paucity of full-strength 5000m races so far this year makes form hard to assess. One with form and motivation is Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who clearly felt he had a point to prove with his display in the final straight in the heats.
There’s any number of contenders here. Selemon Barega, Grant Fisher, Yomif Kejelcha and Mo Ahmed all have claims and you can’t write off Muktar Edris who will be chasing a third consecutive world title at this distance. That’s a bit Farah-ish right there.
Anyway, not too long to wait – hopefully well under 13 minutes after the gun sends them on their way.
Len Johnson for World Athletics
