Dayron Robles, 13.06sec in Monaco (© Freelance)
Olympic champion Dayron Robles goes into Berlin with a streak of victories in all of his races this year, and owns the world-leading time of 13.04. Should he replicate that form in Berlin, it might be enough to land the Cuban World record holder his first World championships gold medal.
Former World record-holder Liu Xiang has spent most of 2009 recovering from the injury that prevented him from mounting a challenge at last year’s Olympics in his home country. Xiang, however, has been unable to get back on track in time to defend his world title.
In Xiang’s absence, Robles has been pushed all the way in some of his races this year, but the man who has been giving Robles the stiffest competition – Dexter Faulk – will not be in Berlin, after he hit a hurdle at the US Trials and missed out on a top-three spot. Instead, it leaves USA’s representatives as David Payne, Terrence Trammell, and Aries Merritt.
Since winning the US Trials, Payne’s form has been somewhat erratic, finishing sixth in Lausanne, eighth in Rome and fourth in Athens. However, as the reigning world bronze medallist and Olympic silver medallist, Payne always raises his game when it matters most and cannot be discounted.
Trammell, meanwhile, is a multiple World and Olympic medallist. His racing schedule this year has been quiet, but victories in New York and Carson earlier in the season – coupled with his world-leading 7.37 for the 60m Hurdles indoors – shows that Trammell is still a big threat. And after failing to finish his heat at last year’s Olympics, Trammell will have plenty of motivation to do well.
Merritt, the former World junior champion, will be contesting his first ever senior championships. He has regularly finished in the top four or five in all of his appearances on the circuit, so will similarly be challenging for the top spots in Berlin.
21-year-old Ryan Brathwaite from Barbados has improved leaps and bounds this year. He recently set a national record of 13.23 and has also run Robles close on a couple of occasions, finishing second to him at the CAC Championships in Havana and at the London Grand Prix. He looks set to break into 13.1 territory – or even quicker – which should see him in the hunt for the medals.
Another intriguing contender is Jamaica’s Dwight Thomas, who has focused on the flat sprints for the majority of his career and boasts a 100m PB of 10.00. But given the depth of sprinters in Jamaica, Thomas has now wisely switched his focus almost exclusively to the hurdles and earlier this season set a PB of 13.30 to finish second at the Paris Golden League meeting. This will be Thomas’s first major outdoor championships appearance as a sprint hurdler and he will be keen to prove that his switch to the hurdles has been worthwhile.
Other likely contenders include Britain’s Andy Turner, Frenchman Garfield Darien and Jamaica's Maurice Wignall - the only man to have made the past four global championship finals.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
Former World record-holder Liu Xiang has spent most of 2009 recovering from the injury that prevented him from mounting a challenge at last year’s Olympics in his home country. Xiang, however, has been unable to get back on track in time to defend his world title.
In Xiang’s absence, Robles has been pushed all the way in some of his races this year, but the man who has been giving Robles the stiffest competition – Dexter Faulk – will not be in Berlin, after he hit a hurdle at the US Trials and missed out on a top-three spot. Instead, it leaves USA’s representatives as David Payne, Terrence Trammell, and Aries Merritt.
Since winning the US Trials, Payne’s form has been somewhat erratic, finishing sixth in Lausanne, eighth in Rome and fourth in Athens. However, as the reigning world bronze medallist and Olympic silver medallist, Payne always raises his game when it matters most and cannot be discounted.
Trammell, meanwhile, is a multiple World and Olympic medallist. His racing schedule this year has been quiet, but victories in New York and Carson earlier in the season – coupled with his world-leading 7.37 for the 60m Hurdles indoors – shows that Trammell is still a big threat. And after failing to finish his heat at last year’s Olympics, Trammell will have plenty of motivation to do well.
Merritt, the former World junior champion, will be contesting his first ever senior championships. He has regularly finished in the top four or five in all of his appearances on the circuit, so will similarly be challenging for the top spots in Berlin.
21-year-old Ryan Brathwaite from Barbados has improved leaps and bounds this year. He recently set a national record of 13.23 and has also run Robles close on a couple of occasions, finishing second to him at the CAC Championships in Havana and at the London Grand Prix. He looks set to break into 13.1 territory – or even quicker – which should see him in the hunt for the medals.
Another intriguing contender is Jamaica’s Dwight Thomas, who has focused on the flat sprints for the majority of his career and boasts a 100m PB of 10.00. But given the depth of sprinters in Jamaica, Thomas has now wisely switched his focus almost exclusively to the hurdles and earlier this season set a PB of 13.30 to finish second at the Paris Golden League meeting. This will be Thomas’s first major outdoor championships appearance as a sprint hurdler and he will be keen to prove that his switch to the hurdles has been worthwhile.
Other likely contenders include Britain’s Andy Turner, Frenchman Garfield Darien and Jamaica's Maurice Wignall - the only man to have made the past four global championship finals.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF
