Kendra Harrison in the 100m hurdles at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 (© Getty Images)
Following their medal sweep at last year's Olympics, the US again boast a strong quartet, with world record-holder Kendra Harrison leading the way with her 12.28 clocking from Szekesfehervar.
The 24-year-old will be out to prove a point too, having missed out on selection for Rio last year despite breaking the world record with 12.20 at the London Muller Anniversary Games a few weeks before the Olympics.
In 2017 she has proved herself as the athlete to beat too. In addition to owning the fastest time in the world, she made no mistake at the US Championships this year, taking victory in 12.60 to go alongside her IAAF Diamond League victories from Doha (after breaking her hand in warm-up), London and Monaco.
Harrison's wildcard entry on the back of her 2016 Diamond Trophy win means she will be one of four US women in London. Olympic silver medallist Nia Ali secured her spot after finishing runner-up at the US Championships and she will be joined on the US team by Christina Manning and 2008 Olympic champion and 2012 Olympic silver medallist Dawn Harper-Nelson. World No.2 Jasmin Stowers, who has run 12.47 this year, will not be in London, having finished only eighth in the US Championships.
Anything can happen in the hurdles and the finishing order does not always go according to the formbook. Two years ago in Beijing, the US had the three fastest athletes in the field, yet it was Jamaican Danielle Williams who took gold from Germany's Cindy Roleder and Belarusian Alina Talay.
Having missed out on selection for last year's Olympics, Williams is back in the form of her life. She recorded a PB of 12.56 to win the Jamaican title and finished third at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Monaco, just 0.07 behind Harrison.
Roleder has not been picked for the German team and Talay would likely need to improve her season best of 12.90 in order to feature.
Second fastest on paper going into London is Australia's Sally Pearson, who has battled back from injury to clock 12.48 this year, her fastest time since winning the 2012 Olympic title. She will be hoping to go one better than her world silver from Moscow in 2013 and regain the world title that she won in 2011.
Germany's Pamela Dutkiewicz leads the European challenge. Following her bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships, she went unbeaten in her first eight competitions of the outdoor season, winning in Oslo, Hengelo, Ostrava and at the European Team Championships. Her first and only loss of the summer came at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Monaco.
Other contenders could include Canada's Olympic finalist Phylicia George, Nigerian Tobi Amusan, Puerto Rican Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and Jamaican trio Megan Simmonds, Rushelle Burton and Yanique Thompson. Britain's Tiffany Porter, the bronze medallist in Moscow four years ago, will have to improve on her 2017 form in order to make the final.
Emily Moss for the IAAF
