Dominating 21.88 dash for Allyson Felix in Stockholm (© Hasse Sjögren)
For the past few seasons the women’s 200m has been the Allyson Felix and Veronica Campbell-Brown show and few would bet against one or the other landing gold in Berlin.
Felix, the defending champion, landed the US title in June before opting to concentrate on the 100m and 400m. However, the long term vision was always the 200m at the World championships and her preparation was vindicated when she rocketed to the top of the world standings with a sensational 21.88 winning time in her last pre-Worlds appearance in Stockholm. It was a time within 0.07 of her lifetime best set when winning the 2007 World 200m title and rightly installs her as pre-race favourite.
More question marks appear to surround Campbell-Brown going into the championships. She spent five weeks on the sidelines through injury in the spring and the Olympic 200m champion is yet to find her very best form this summer. Nonetheless, the Jamaican is a tough-cookie and is unbeaten in her three 200m outings this season. She landed the Jamaican title in June and has gradually improved, recording a season’s best of 22.37 in her most recent outing over the half-lap distance in Barcelona.
While much of the pre-race attention has been thrust upon Felix and Campbell-Brown the evergreen Bahamian Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie has almost slipped under the radar. The 33-year-old is enjoying a new lease of life this season and raced to her fastest time for seven years with an impressive 22.23 time behind Felix in Stockholm. Ferguson-McKenzie, the 2001 World champion, who made her World Championship debut in Seville 10 years ago, could provide the stiffest challenge to Felix and Campbell-Brown.
Joining Campbell-Brown on the Jamaican team are Shelly Ann-Fraser and Simone Facey. Fraser sprinted to the runner-up spot in a respectable 22.58 at the Jamaican Championships and although the Olympic 100m champion lacks 200m experience her presence in the half-lap race must be respected.
Facey, the least well-known of the Jamaican trio, finished third in the Jamaican Championships and with a season’s best time of 22.65 she will be seeking to book her place in the final.
Joining Felix on the US team are Muna Lee and Marshevet Hooker. Lee was an impressive runner-up at the US champs in a wind-aided 22.13 but has shown little real form since. Hooker was third at the US championships and finished fourth in 22.84 in her most recent 200m outing in Stockholm. Laverne Jones-Ferrette has twice lowered the US Virgin Islands record this season and her 22.46 time in Hengelo suggests she poses a genuine danger. Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad ran a national record of 22.60 in Belem in the spring she has since focused her efforts solely on the 100m.
The versatile Russian champion Yuliya Gushchina leads the European challenge. Gushchina has a season’s best of 22.63 and is stepping down in distance after finishing fourth in the Olympic 400m final in Beijing last summer.
Other athletes to watch include Cydonie Mothersill of the Cayman Islands (22.65), a three-time former World championships finalist, and Great Britain’s Emily Freeman (22.79) who set a PB in June.
Steve Landells for the IAAF
Felix, the defending champion, landed the US title in June before opting to concentrate on the 100m and 400m. However, the long term vision was always the 200m at the World championships and her preparation was vindicated when she rocketed to the top of the world standings with a sensational 21.88 winning time in her last pre-Worlds appearance in Stockholm. It was a time within 0.07 of her lifetime best set when winning the 2007 World 200m title and rightly installs her as pre-race favourite.
More question marks appear to surround Campbell-Brown going into the championships. She spent five weeks on the sidelines through injury in the spring and the Olympic 200m champion is yet to find her very best form this summer. Nonetheless, the Jamaican is a tough-cookie and is unbeaten in her three 200m outings this season. She landed the Jamaican title in June and has gradually improved, recording a season’s best of 22.37 in her most recent outing over the half-lap distance in Barcelona.
While much of the pre-race attention has been thrust upon Felix and Campbell-Brown the evergreen Bahamian Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie has almost slipped under the radar. The 33-year-old is enjoying a new lease of life this season and raced to her fastest time for seven years with an impressive 22.23 time behind Felix in Stockholm. Ferguson-McKenzie, the 2001 World champion, who made her World Championship debut in Seville 10 years ago, could provide the stiffest challenge to Felix and Campbell-Brown.
Joining Campbell-Brown on the Jamaican team are Shelly Ann-Fraser and Simone Facey. Fraser sprinted to the runner-up spot in a respectable 22.58 at the Jamaican Championships and although the Olympic 100m champion lacks 200m experience her presence in the half-lap race must be respected.
Facey, the least well-known of the Jamaican trio, finished third in the Jamaican Championships and with a season’s best time of 22.65 she will be seeking to book her place in the final.
Joining Felix on the US team are Muna Lee and Marshevet Hooker. Lee was an impressive runner-up at the US champs in a wind-aided 22.13 but has shown little real form since. Hooker was third at the US championships and finished fourth in 22.84 in her most recent 200m outing in Stockholm. Laverne Jones-Ferrette has twice lowered the US Virgin Islands record this season and her 22.46 time in Hengelo suggests she poses a genuine danger. Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad ran a national record of 22.60 in Belem in the spring she has since focused her efforts solely on the 100m.
The versatile Russian champion Yuliya Gushchina leads the European challenge. Gushchina has a season’s best of 22.63 and is stepping down in distance after finishing fourth in the Olympic 400m final in Beijing last summer.
Other athletes to watch include Cydonie Mothersill of the Cayman Islands (22.65), a three-time former World championships finalist, and Great Britain’s Emily Freeman (22.79) who set a PB in June.
Steve Landells for the IAAF
