French sprint hurdler Pascal Martinot-Lagarde (© Getty Images)
With a trio of sub-7.50 times to his name in 2014, and a best of 7.45, Pascal Martinot-Lagarde starts as favourite.
The young Frenchman sneaked on to the podium alongside Aries Merritt and Liu Xiang in Istanbul two years ago and promises to become his country’s first fully-fledged golden boy in the event, although Stephane Caristan prevailed in Paris in 1985 in the forerunner of the World Indoor Championships, the World Indoor Games.
Martinot-Lagarde’s team-mate Garfield Darien is the second quickest on the 2014 season’s list of the men who will be in Sopot, boasting a 2014 best of 7.53 but European outdoor champion Sergey Shubenkov is likely to be a big threat.
US champion Omo Osaghae will be at his first major international championship and will be looking to make a big impression as well.
Simon Turnbull for the IAAF
