Tonique Williams Darling in the 400m heats (© Getty Images)
Helsinki, FinlandWhile the weather commanded much of the attention on Day 4, a full slate of intriguing finals should focus full attention back on the task at hand on Day 5, regardless of what the fickle clouds above Olympic Stadium decide to do.
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Since this preview was written there have been further
TIMETABLE CHANGES due to bad weather
Due to the weather conditions, the Technical Delegates have agreed the following amendments to the programme:
Women’s Pole Vault, FINAL will take place on Friday 12 August at 18:10 Hs.
Men’s High Jump qualifying rounds will take place on Friday 12 August at 12:00 noon.
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Isinbayeva’s quest for gold
With her unprecedented domination in the Pole Vault over the past two years, it's difficult to believe that Yelena Isinbayeva has yet to win a World championship. Her quest for that missing trophy will be decided today as well. Barring major catastrophe, her primary nemesis will be whatever sort of weather the forecast decides will be fitting for Day 5. The battle for the remaining medals should come from the Polish duo, Anna Rogowska and Monika Pyrek, who have reached 4.80 and 4.70 this season. German Carolin Hingst, Vanessa Boslak of France, and American Tracy O'Hara will be factors for a medal as well.
In search of a new king
Like the absence of Haile Gebrselassie in the 10,000m on Monday night, the final of the men's 1500 marks the first time that quadruple champion Hicham El Guerrouj will not be present since before his streak began in Seville in 1997. While the Moroccan, who carved his place in history after his nearly unprecedented double victory in Athens last summer, has yet to announce his retirement from the event, clearly a new era is dawning in the 1500. And in many ways, in Helsinki we'll be starting from scratch.
While several in the field have shown the ability to produce fast times in paced races, many have not displayed at all the ability or the experience to race in unpaced contests, making the final among the most wildly unpredictable --and among the most eagerly anticipated. Moroccan-born Bahraini Rashid Ramzi will start as a strong favourite, with a small handful of others expected to be in the chase -- Bashir Daham Najim of Qatar, Kenyan Alex Kipchirchir, Adil Kaouch of Morocco, and U.S. champion Alan Webb.
Pitkämäki looks to warm up the home crowd
But for the sell-out crowd at Olympic Stadium, as it will be for most of Scandinavia, the main event will the final of the men's Javelin throw. Defending champion and Olympic bronze medallist Sergey Makarov of Russia led all qualifiers with his 85.08 effort; Finn Tero Pitkämäki was next among qualifiers, with an 82.21 best. The home court advantage will certainly favour the Number One Finn, as it will the current No. 2, Aki Parviainen. Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen into the mix, and you have a competition that may very well go down to the wire.
Williams-Darling, the favourite
The battle for top honours in the women's 400 will also be decided tonight, with defending champion Ana Guevara facing a daunting task. Olympic champion Tonique Williams-Darling is eagerly looking to add the title of World champion to her rapidly growing collection; with her comfortable 49.69 win in her semi on Monday, a season's best for the Bahamian, it appears that she has come to Helsinki well prepared. Sanya Richards, the world leader after her 49.28 win at the U.S. championships, is a solid threat as well, and looks poised to become the first American medallist in the event since Jearl Miles-Clark, the 1993 champion, ran to her second consecutive bronze medal in 1997. In all, five of the eight finalist have dipped under 50 seconds this year.
Clay versus Sebrle
Competition continues in the Decathlon, with American Bryan Clay, the Olympic silver medallist, bringing a narrow 14 point lead into the second day over Roman Sebrle, the Olympic champion. Unlike virtually all previous battles for the title of 'World's Greatest Athlete,' this one may come down to the very end.
The women's Long Jump will also be decided, and like other finals on the program, is simply too close to call.
American Tianna Madison, still just 19, led all qualifiers by a large margin, thanks to her 6.83 personal best. Three others have jumped farther this year, though, including Olympic bronze medallist Tatyana Kotova. With her critical experience, including a runner-up finishes in Paris two years ago and in Budapest indoors last year, the Russian should be considered the woman to beat.
Also on tap - besides more rain! - are the semi-finals of the women's 100 metre hurdles, the semis in the men's 400, the first round of the women's 5000, and, because of the schedule adjustments necessitated by the weather, the quarter-finals and semi-finals in the men's 200.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
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Written coverage of the
10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics,
Helsinki, Finland (6 – 14 August)
on the IAAF Website:
‘Event by Event’ PREVIEWS and REPORTS
provided by the
Helsinki 2005 local organizing committee media team
FEATURES - Gold medal winners
As in Paris 2003, the IAAF's own team of writers will be producing a feature story/interview with every individual gold medallist crowned in Helsinki 2005. These stories will be published as soon as possible after each final in the main NEWS section
Daily Highlights - Preview and Wrap
A concise preview at the start and a wrap of the main highlights of the competition will also be a daily aspect of the IAAF website's coverage of the World Championships.
Dunaway's 'Helsinki Herald'
And our regular major championship columnist Jim Dunaway will again give his own unique view of some of the more bizarre or quirky aspects surrounding events at Helsinki 2005.
We hope you will enjoy our coverage.
Chris Turner
IAAF Editorial Manager
