IAAF World Indoor Championships Day 2 Preview

IAAF World Indoor Championships Day 2 Preview

Mar 9, 2012 by Jesse Squire
IAAF World Indoor Championships Day 2 Preview
The IAAF World Indoor Championships continue tomorrow at 2:30 AM eastern time. The USA could win as many as six gold medals on Day 2 of the Worlds.

Meet website
Live results and live blog

How to watch

US-based viewers can see a live webcast of the meet at UniversalSports.com. The cost is $14.99 for the three-day pass.

Universal Sports' television channel is now available on Dish Network. There will be a daily highlights show, at 8:00 PM on Saturday and 4:00 PM on Sunday.

Another great way to keep up with the meet is IAAF Radio. The live stream of audio coverage is excellent, and you can't beat the price (free). Coverage begins at 9:15am (Eastern time) on Saturday and 6:15 am on Sunday.

Morning Session


The morning session begins at 2:30 AM Eastern time. Only the true junkies will be up watching it then...yeah, I've got the coffee pot programmed.

The major event of the morning is the second day of the men's heptathlon. Right now it looks like a coronation for Ashton Eaton, who is ahead of his own World Record pace. Nothing is certain, as it's always possible to louse up a multi-event, but he has a big lead and, barring complete disaster, he should win. The most interesting competition is Eaton versus the record book.

The first event, the 60 meter hurdles (2:30 AM), is one of Eaton's strengths and he should widen that lead. The next event, the pole vault (3:30 AM), is another one of his strengths (aren't they all?).

The other interesting event of the morning will be the semifinals of the men's 800 meters. Three heats of six will be cut down to a final, with only the top two in each heat advancing (no time qualifiers). American entries Tevan Everett and Michael Rutt are underdogs to qualify, but the 800 can be an unpredictable event. The favorites are Ethiopian Mohammed Aman and Poland's Adam Kszczot.

Afternoon session


The afternoon session begins at 10:00 AM Eastern time, so get your workout in early and settle down for some fine action.

Field events kick off the action, with the men's pole vault (10:00 AM). Both Americans made the final, Scott Roth and Brad Walker, but they face a formidable lineup including Renaud Lavillenie (France), Björn Otto (Germany) and Dmitry Starodubstev (Russia). Walker appears to have regained some of the form that won him Worlds medals four years running (2005-08), so the USA has a chance here.

Another early event is the women's triple jump (10:05 AM). No Americans qualified in this event, where the heavy favorite is 2011 Worlds silver medalist Olga Rypakova (Kazakhstan).

The first running event final is the women's 1500 meters (11:00 AM). Neither US entrant qualified, and this race isn't exactly full of household names; none of the finalists made it to the semifinal round of last year's Worlds. Still, 1500 races are always thrilling races. The favorite is Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba, sister of world champion Tirunesh.

The women's shot put (11:10 AM) promises big fireworks. New Zealander Valerie Adams and Belarus' Nadzeya Ostapchuk are bitter rivals, and basically never lose to anyone except each other. The USA is quite capable of winning a medal, as American record holder Jillian Camarena-Williams did at last year's Worlds. She is entered, along with Michelle Carter, giving the USA quite a pair of throwers.

American record-breaker and VISA Championship Series winner Chaunte Lowe poses a real threat to win the women's high jump (11:15 AM). Only Russia's Anna Chicherova has jumped higher this year. Lowe is steadily improving in her return to competition after becoming a new mother last year.

When the heptathletes take to the track for the concluding 1000 meters (11:20 AM), the most likely question is whether Ashton Eaton can break his own World Record. Unlike most decathletes, Eaton can run the middle distances quite well, so if the record is in reach he'll definitely go for it.

The USA boasts one-third of the finalists in the women's 400 meters (11:40 AM), in Sanya Richards-Ross and Natasha Hastings. Ross is a heavy favorite to win, and Hastings has as good a chance at silver as anyone. Her main rivals are likely to be Aleksandra Fedoriva (Russia) and Vania Stambolova (Bulgaria).

In the men's long jump (11:50 AM), Will Claye is the USA's lone finalist. Not a long jump specialist, he's still capable of winning, but it will be tough. The field is extremely level and literally anyone could win it.

Could Matt Centrowitz do it again? We'll find out when the men's 1500 meters goes off at high noon (in the Eastern time zone, anyway). Centrowitz, the surprise bronze medalist at last year's Worlds, seems to have a sixth sense for being in the right place at the right time. The favorite to win, however, is Kenyan Silas Kiplagat.

No Americans qualified to the finals of the men's 400 meters (12:30 PM), but US track fans are familiar with many of those who did. Led by 2011 World champion Kirani James (Grenada), three of the six were finalist at last year's NCAA Indoor Championships (also Demetrius Pinder/Bahamas and Tabarie Henry/Virgin Islands), and five of the six hail from the Caribbean basin.

The women's 60 meter hurdles (12:45 PM) are the penultimate event of the day. US entries failed to make it out of the heats (due in part to starter's equipment problems). Sally Pearson, one of the true superstars of the sport, has been on fire lately and could challenge the World Record. North American hopes rest with Canada's Nikkita Holder. Finalists will be determined by semifinals held earlier in the day.

The last race of the day, the men's 60 meters, should be a thriller. These days, every sprint final is a dual meet between Jamaica and the USA and this one should be more of the same. Nesta Carter carries hopes for Jamaica against Americans Trell Kimmons and Justin Gatlin .