Sanya Richards sets off on anchor for the USA in the heats of the 4x400m relay (© Getty Images)
The United States has won the last two major championships, in Beijing and Osaka, and will be the favourite in Berlin despite the fact that Russia actually fields on faster team on paper.
USA won in Osaka clocking 3:18.55 and then 0.01 of a second (3:18.54) in Beijing with three of the same athletes on both teams: Mary Wineberg, Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards. Wineberg hasn’t competed during the 2009 outdoor season and is not on the team but both Felix and Richards are in the form of their lives.
Richards is yet to lose in the 400m this season and has clocked five sub-50 second races, while Felix is showing her good form in the 200m clocking 21.88 in her last competition before Berlin. These two will be accompanied by two athletes from the pool consisting of Debbie Dunn, Jessica Beard, Natasha Hastings and the fastest 400m hurdler in the world, Lashinda Demus. Any combination of these six will have to be considered to be racing for the gold.
Russia has emerged with yet another 400m star this season. 22-year-old Antonina Krivoshapka has lowered her 400m best by four seconds in the last three years dropping almost two already since the summer of 2008 hen she set her pre-2009 best of 51.24s. Indoors Krivoshapka won both individual 400m and 4x400m relay golds at the European Indoor Championships in Torino and set a personal best and national U23 record 49.29 in the semi-finals of the national championships before winning the title in 49.71. Anastasiya Kapachinskaya is another sub-50 second runner this season with a 49.97 run for second at the national championships. Additional members of the team - Lyudmila Litvinova, Natalya Nazarova and Tatyava Firova - are all capable of challenging USA for the win.
Jamaica also has won two medals in the last two major championships, but this season they are lacking a bit of depth to assist Shericka Williams (49.98) and Novlene Williams-Mills (50.05). They will still be reaching out for the bronze medal or even a brighter one if one of the two favourites should falter, Belarus, Cuba and Great Britain will also be looking for the bronze.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
USA won in Osaka clocking 3:18.55 and then 0.01 of a second (3:18.54) in Beijing with three of the same athletes on both teams: Mary Wineberg, Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards. Wineberg hasn’t competed during the 2009 outdoor season and is not on the team but both Felix and Richards are in the form of their lives.
Richards is yet to lose in the 400m this season and has clocked five sub-50 second races, while Felix is showing her good form in the 200m clocking 21.88 in her last competition before Berlin. These two will be accompanied by two athletes from the pool consisting of Debbie Dunn, Jessica Beard, Natasha Hastings and the fastest 400m hurdler in the world, Lashinda Demus. Any combination of these six will have to be considered to be racing for the gold.
Russia has emerged with yet another 400m star this season. 22-year-old Antonina Krivoshapka has lowered her 400m best by four seconds in the last three years dropping almost two already since the summer of 2008 hen she set her pre-2009 best of 51.24s. Indoors Krivoshapka won both individual 400m and 4x400m relay golds at the European Indoor Championships in Torino and set a personal best and national U23 record 49.29 in the semi-finals of the national championships before winning the title in 49.71. Anastasiya Kapachinskaya is another sub-50 second runner this season with a 49.97 run for second at the national championships. Additional members of the team - Lyudmila Litvinova, Natalya Nazarova and Tatyava Firova - are all capable of challenging USA for the win.
Jamaica also has won two medals in the last two major championships, but this season they are lacking a bit of depth to assist Shericka Williams (49.98) and Novlene Williams-Mills (50.05). They will still be reaching out for the bronze medal or even a brighter one if one of the two favourites should falter, Belarus, Cuba and Great Britain will also be looking for the bronze.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
