Dominating 200m victory in London for Usain Bolt in 2008 (© Getty Images)
Usain Bolt casts his considerable shadow over this event after enjoying a phenomenal season.
Bolt’s dominance has been considerable. He is unbeaten and he possesses the three fastest times in the world this year. His 19.67 time in Athens propelled him to fifth on the all-time lists and his victories in London (19.76) and Ostrava (19.83) were similarly majestic. What makes his 200m performances even more daunting for his rivals was that he appeared to have a lot more in the tank, which, whisper it quietly, even brings into view a possible shot at Michael Johnson’s iconic world record mark of 19.32 set at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Bolt, however, we should remember is still only 21 and has yet to win a major senior global title but such has been his form this year many believe the lanky Jamaican is capable of almost anything in Beijing.
His main rivals are likely to come from the USA. Walter Dix beat Shawn Crawford by just 0.005 - after both recorded 19.86 at the US trials - and expect the pair to figure strongly in China.
Dix, aged 22, made a massive breakthrough to run 19.69 last season and has showed his competitive mettle to take victory in the US trials, although, significantly, Beijing will be his first taste of major international competition.
By contrast Crawford, the reigning Olympic champion, has bags of experience. He returned to his best at the US Olympic Trials after four years of relative underachievement since his Athens success and he poses a strong threat.
The third string US athlete - Wallace Spearmon - who finished 0.04 behind Dix and Crawford at the US Trials is also an accomplished championship performer. The son of Wallace Spearmon, an international sprinter in the Eighties, he has won a silver and a bronze medal, respectively, at the 2005 and 2007 World Championships and could be a podium filler again in Beijing.
Caribbean sprinters feature strongly among the remainder. Antigua’s Brendan Christian, the 2007 Pan American Games champion, set a national record of 20.12 earlier this season and his minimum aim will be a place in the final. The second and third choice Jamaican’s Marvin Anderson (20.17) and the experienced Christopher Williams (20.20) are also likely to threaten. Watch out too for Churandy Martina (20.17), the Netherlands Antilles sprinter, and Zimbabwe’s Brian Dzingai (20.17) who has performed consistently on the European circuit this year.
Steve Landells for the IAAF
