All three medalists from 2014 return for the men's 1500m race, while World record-holder Genzebe Dibaba and American record-holder Shannon Rowbury are opting for the 3000m in Portland. Let's take a look at the medal favorites for everybody's favorite indoor thriller.

Men's 1500m

Prelim: Friday, 7pm PST
Final: Sunday, 2:05pm PST

The men’s 1500m could be a complete replica of the 2014 World indoor final, seeing that all three medalists are returning. This race outcome, however, should be (slightly) different.

It's hard to ignore the fact that Ayanleh Souleiman (gold), Aman Wote (silver) and Abdelaati Iguider (bronze) will be back. But while he has finished fourth and second in the last two World indoor finals, we’re going to eliminate 31-year-old Wote from the conversation. With only two narrow 1500m victories (in less-than-competitive races) under his belt in February, it's likely the rest of the field will prevail on the podium.

Returning champion Souleiman looks to be the favorite, even with a 1500m loss to Iguider in Glasgow. In a tactical final, the 23-year-old will surely show off the leg speed that brought him to a 2:14.20 indoor 1000m World record on February 17. (His loss to Iguider was also three days after the World record, so think of what the guy can do with fresh legs!)

Iguider is a gamer when it comes to championships, as evidenced by his five global medals since 2010 (including World indoor gold and Olympic bronze back in 2012). Where Souleiman is the speed, Iguider is the strength with his 1500m world-leading 3:34.94 and season best 3000m mark of 7:39.04.

So what about the hometown favorites? Portland based Matt Centrowitz and U.S.-based New Zealander Nick Willis rank No. 2 and 3 on the World list for their historic Millrose Wanamaker Mile performances. Centro opted out of the indoor season in 2014 and finished seventh in 2012. Willis was disqualified for lane violations in both 2008 and 2014 finals and is no doubt hungry for a medal.

26-year-old Centrowitz is undefeated this indoor season and after his blistering 3:50.63 Millrose victory, it’s hard to not pick him to medal. Willis on the other hand just settled down in Flagstaff, Ariz., for an altitude stint. Will the too-quick turnaround from brief altitude to sea level affect the veteran? And we're not forgetting about Robby Andrews, because we think he will do quite well. His 3:53 mile at Millrose was a huge breakthrough and he nearly kicked down Centro for the U.S. title. But his lack of experience (Yes he made the final in Beijing this summer but then proceeded to finish last) will likely keep him from the podium.

Watch Centrowitz react to winning the USATF Indoor Championships last weekend:



Medal Picks
Gold: Souleiman
Silver: Centrowitz
Bronze: Willis

Women's 1500m

Prelim: Friday, 1:25pm PST
Final: Saturday, 7:18pm PST

The fastest woman on the planet and indoor mile/outdoor 1500m World record-holder Genzebe Dibaba has opted for the 3000m in Portland, and the 2014 indoor gold medalist, Abeba Aregawi, recently tested positive for a banned substance. Despite the drama, several proven medal contenders will still toe the line in this competitive women’s 1500m.

By the looks of the entries, it could come down to three women for gold. The third and fourth-place finishers from this summer’s outdoor world championships will be the favorites, Sifan Hassan (bronze) and Dawit Seyaum (fourth), as well as 19-year-old Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay.

Hassan was fifth in the 3000m in 2014, and has since excelled in the 800m and 1500m. After earning bronze in the 1500m in Beijing, she nearly advanced to the 800m final with a National record 1:58.50 performance. Her single 1500m performance of 2016 was a 4:01.40 victory over Tsegay (4:01.81) in Glasgow.

Seyaum, the 2014 World Junior Champion over 1500m, won the New Balance Grand Prix in 4:01.86 over Brenda Martinez’s 4:04.58. She then ran a solo 4:00.28 a week later at the BU Last Chance meet. Essentially Seyaum has not dealt with traffic or tactics heading into Portland, which could hinder her chances at a medal should the pace start out pedestrian.

Tsegay hasn’t won in 2016, but finished second to Dibaba (4:24.98 mile) and Hassan in competitive fields. The 2014 World Junior silver medalist set a World Junior Record against Hassan and looks to be in great medal form.

Can Brenda Martinez medal in this field? She’s grabbed one in the outdoor 800m and is certainly showing great fitness with a 2:00 800m mark and solo 4:32 mile back in January. If it’s tactical we like Martinez’s odds when closing with the best of them, but she showed no interest of going after Seyaum back in Boston. That could hurt her if the pace is hot, but in a championship setting without Dibaba, we don’t see that being the case.

Watch Martinez's interview after she dominated the USATF 1500m last week:



Medal Picks
Gold: Hassan
Silver: Seyaum
Bronze: Tsegay