2017 World Championships Preview--WOMEN (Part 1)

To save time & space, please refer to Part 1 of my Men's Preview for guideline stuff!
But as with the Men, I'll be doing 12 events per post!
These date from August 5th (No Women's Finals on the 1st day!!) to August 10th!

10000 (August 5th) (WR 29:17.45 MR 30:04.18)
With Almaz Ayana's shape in some question, don't look for another STUNNER here!!
Then again, you have Ayana and fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba together again--and as we all know (or think!!), there's no real fellowship there!!
So what happens if one of them GOES?
Does the other automatically follow?
I can't see Tiru "letting" Ayana get away from her this time!!
And what about that Rio "rabbit", Alice Aprot Nawowuna??
Does she play the same role here?
So many fascinating questions!
Yasmin Can might offer some challenge, as might Agnes Tirop!
But don't expect Molly Huddle to reproduce her AR pace of a 14:55 first 5K!!
Susan Krumins (nee Kuijken) recently ran 14:53.
But can she do that TWICE??
Same applies to the other Americans, Emily's Infeld & Sisson!!
MR odds are 60-40!

Marathon (August 6) (WR 2:15:25 MR 2:20:57)
As with the Men, this MR is fallible!
Give it 30-70 odds, given the usual state of Championship Marathon racing!
Edna Kiplagat, Mare Dibaba, Berhane Dibaba, Aselefech Mergia, Helah Kiprop, Shure Demise, Rose Chelimo, and Eunice Chepkirui should be the lead group through at least 25 or 30K!
Could come down to a sprint over the last 385 yards!!
Best Americans are Amy Cragg and Serena Burla!

PV (August 6) (WR 16-7.25 MR 16-5.25)
It's pitifully ironic that both the WR & MR are held by the same person--a RUSSIAN!!--and that the RUSSIANS won't even be allowed to sing or play their National Anthem in the privacy of their hotel rooms--given the latest Police State ruling by the IAAF!!
They have two athletes--Anzhelika Sidorova and Olga Mullina--who actually might have a chance to hear---WHAT???---if they reach the podium!!
But betting odds give Ekaterina Stefanidi, Jenn Suhr, and Sandi Morris the best chances!
Based on consistency, the edge must go to "Kat"!
Suhr just went through a "poles lost" crisis--solved!!
Morris, IMO, might have gone too "social"--meaning she's become seriously ubiquitous all over Twitter (& InstaGram??)--becoming the Selfie Queen, and endlessly displaying her love for Ty Smith, the Bahamas LJ'er (See Men's LJ Preview!) all over Social Media!
Will this weaken her competitive edge enough to take her out of the game?
Watch for Brit Holly Bradshaw to surprise, as she'll have home field support!
MR odds are 30-70!


Heptathlon (August 6) (WR 7291 MR 7128)
Can Nafi Thiam add another 116 points to her brilliant Gotzis score of 7013, to break the MR?
40-60 odds!!
Unless she royally messes up, she should be the clear favorite here!
Even though Katarina Johnson-Thompson will have the crowds cheering her every step!!
No Jessica Ennis-Hill or Brianne Theisen-Eaton, but 2 other "Hyphens" are Laura Ikauniece-Admidina and Claudia Salmon-Rath!!
Anouk Vetter and Carolin Schaefer are ones to watch.
Kendell Williams just ended her Collegiate career in June!
Is she ready for a top performance here?
Erica Bougard could surprise!
BTW, August 6th is the 2nd day of the Hept!

100 (August 6) (WR 10.49 MR 10.70)
Does it matter that anyone else is in this event other than Tori Bowie, Elaine Thompson, and Dafne Schippers??
YES!!
Sprints have a few danger zones--false starts, injuries, bad starts!
But given everything being copacetic, this SHOULD come down to the Big Three!!
Don't tell that to Marie Josee Ta Lou, Michelle Lee Ahye, or to vets Kelly Ann Baptiste and Murielle Ahoure!!
And what about those Ducks--Deajah Stevens and Ariana Washington??
MR odds are 35-65!

HT (August 7) (WR 272-3 MR 265-3)
WR has 85-15 odds!
MR has 125-0 odds!!!
HER name is Anita!
That's all you need to know!!
However--IF she should have a "bad hair day", watch for the Chinese pair of Zhang Wang and Wenxiu Zhang, and YES, the American trio of Gwen Berry, Maggie Ewen, and DeAnna Price to possibly sneak onto the podium!!
Also, Hanna Skydan has been getting some "noise" from the cheap seats!!

TJ (August 7) (WR & MR 50-10.25)
The Records are safe!!
But Caterine Ibarguen's recent dominance of this event is NOT!!
Yulimar Rojas has made her presence known--and then some!!
Toss a coin!!
Olga Rypakova could surprise.
Kim Williams is a Bronze at best!!
Keturah Orji opted out of London awhile back, due to injury!!

1500 (August 7) (WR 3:50.07 MR 3:58.52)
This could be one of the more interesting events, due to the mystery of what strategy will be used, and who will employ it!!
Some say it will copy Rio, where a slow first 700 led to a rip-roaring final 800 (1:57's!!!) for 2 or 3 of the leaders!!
Others believe someone new--like Konstanze Klosterhalfen!--won't let a soft pace happen!
Then we have Scottish lass (but beloved all over the UK!!) Laura Muir, who will assuredly have MoBot-type crowd support!!
She's not the type to sit & kick!!
Neither is Jenny Simpson!!
Main "players" (besides the aforementioned) should be Genzebe Dibaba, Faith Kipyegon, and Sifan Hassan!
One of the "un-named 3" is in this event, but I refuse to consider that person's chances!
MR odds are 25-75!

JT (August 8) (WR 237-2 MR 236-2)
Both Records are safe!
Until a year ago (aka pre-Rio), Barbora Spotakova would be seen as the favorite--if not a clear one!
But Tatsiana Khaladovich and Rio Gold shocker Sara Kolak have changed that scenario!
Give those 3 the starring roles--for now!
Shiying Liu of China could slip in there!
As could Eda Tugsuz and Martina Ratej!

SP (August 9) (WR 74-3 MR 69-8.25)
The MR holder is in London--and quite pregnant!!
Dame Valerie Adams's MR will survive---easily!!
The main question here is--Who will be ON, and WHEN??
Will ShotDiva (Michelle Carter) produce another 6th round shocker?
Can Raven Saunders avoid one of her "basement level" performances?
Will solid vets Anita Marton or Liljai Gong finally win one?
And what about the "Dani's"--Danniel Thomas of Jamaica, and Dani Bunch of the US??
Dame Adams will be missed, but this should still be an exciting event!!

400 (August 9) (WR 47.60 MR 47.99)
I'm still trying to figure out the "mystery" of the dichotomy between open 400's and Relay leg 400's!
Leaving aside all the scientific mumbo-jumbo, I just don't see why someone like Allyson Felix can't even come close to matching that 47.72 Relay leg in an open race!!
Her 200 speed matches (SURPASSES!!) that of WR holder Marita Koch, or that of MR holder Jarmila Kratochvilova!!
Yet her open PR is "just" 49.26--a full 1.54 seconds slower than that Relay leg!!
That said, Felix will have to do battle with Shaunae Miller-Uibo just to win--let alone set any records!!
There are others to watch--Novlene Williams Mills, Quanera Hayes, Phyllis Francis, Kendell Ellis, and Chrisann Gordon, who herself had the fastest anchor leg at the NCAA's--49.41!!

400H (August 10) (WR 52.34 MR 52.42)
The USATF race won't be repeated here!!
For one thing, some of the players aren't here--such as Sydney McLaughlin--who, BTW, turns 18 on August 7th!!
Also, the "perfect storm" rarely happens twice in one season--even when some "meteorologists" are predicting same!!
The American trio--Delilah Muhammad, Kori Carter, and Shamier Little--have been mentioned for a possible sweep!
Were they forgetting Zuzana Hejnova--or Janieve Russell--or even Lea Sprunger??
And what about Canadian star Sage Watson, who just graduated College in the US??
Give the WR 40-60 odds!
Give the MR 45-55 odds!
It could be that close!!

Be back with Part 2 soon!!