With both Allyson Felix and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce announcing last week that they will be focusing on other events at the World Championships, one thing is clear about the women’s 200: it’s anyone’s race. 

 

Felix, who is three times a World champion in the 200 and the fastest woman in the event this year, will run just the 400 in Beijing despite earning a free pass in the 200 with her Diamond Race victory from last season. The 29-year-old American is the only woman since 2010 to break 22 seconds, a feat she’s already accomplished this season with her 21.98 in Doha. She had wanted to compete in both the 200 and 400, but a short window between events forced her to make a decision between the two.

 

Similarly, Fraser-Pryce, who also had a free pass to the World Championships in the 200 by virtue of winning the World title two years ago in Moscow, will just compete in the 100 in Beijing. The Jamaican made her announcement last Thursday after winning the Stockholm 100, an event she has dominated this season highlighted by the 10.74 World lead she set in Paris. 

 

With neither Felix or SAFP running the 200, several women with no experience in Olympic or World Championship 200m competition could potentially win gold in Beijing. 

 

A former heptathlete turned full-time sprinter, Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands has emerged as a legitimate threat in the sprints since she decided to focus on running full time back in May. The 23-year-old, who won bronze in the hep at the 2013 World Championships, won last week’s London 100 in a 10.92 national record, and has run 22.09 for 200 this season, third-best in the world. Her 22.03 PR from 2014 was second fastest in the world last season behind Felix's 22.02. 

 

Schippers will attempt the 100/200 in Beijing, which should feel like an easy workload in comparison to her multi days. 

 

American Candyce McGrone narrowly beat Schippers by .01 in the Monaco 200 with her 22.08 victory, which was a massive three-tenths of a second improvement on her personal best and the fastest time run in 2015 among those competing in Beijing. 

 

The 26-year-old was second at USA’s in her first time qualifying for the 200 final, and despite her very limited experience on the world stage, is a serious threat for gold at Worlds. Such is the power of Allyson Felix and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. 

 

These aren’t the only women for whom the door has been opened by Felix and SAFP, however. 

 

Oregon’s Jenna Prandini and Elaine Thompson of Jamaica have both beaten McGrone this season, with Prandini taking the US title in a 22.20 PR, and Thompson running a 22.10 personal best last week in London to soundly beat the American. 

Without Allyson Felix to challenge, Oregon's Jenna Prandini won the US 200 in dominating fashion

Prandini is very much a wildcard for Worlds because there are no Diamond League races to speak of for her outside of the Monaco 4x1 on July 17th. Her PR would likely be a lot lower if she had raced the 200 in Monaco or London, which would provide a better indication of her medal chances in Beijing. Given that she soundly beat McGrone at USAs, I would suspect that Prandini is in sub-22.10 shape right now.

 

Thompson proved that she's right in the mix of things with her 22.10 win in London. The Jamaican will look to make it three 200 World titles in a row for the small island country, as Veronica Campbell-Brown won gold in 2011 followed by Fraser-Pryce in 2013. 

 

These ladies caught another break when the Bahamas' Shaunae Miller announced just today that she will run only the 400 in Beijing. The 21-year-old has run top five times in both the 200 and 400 in 2015, 22.14 and 49.92, and finished 4th in the 200 at the 2013 World Championships as just a 19-year-old. Once again, the 200 field becomes lighter. 

Although they do not find themselves amongst the fastest in the world thus far in 2015, the reigning World Championshps silver and bronze medalists still figure to contend in Beijing.

2013 Silver-medalist Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast started her season off very well with runner-up finishes to Felix in the Doha 200 in 22.29 and Fraser-Pryce in the Prefontaine 100, the latter being a 10.81 PR. However, Ahoure has failed to break 11 seconds since then, and has only run 22.36 in the 200. 

Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare, who earned bronze in 2013, figures to be a bigger threat to the newcomers in Beijing than Ahoure. Despite only running 22.67 in her lone 200 in 2015 (she was DQ'd in Monaco), Okagbare ran 10.80 in the Paris 100 on July 4th, and most recently was second behind Schippers in London in 10.98.


Murielle Ahoure and Blessing Okagbare won silver and bronze in 2013, but neither has run top 10 200 times in 2015

The women's 200 has been considerably faster in 2015 than it was during all of 2013, as Fraser-Pryce's 22.13 was quickest run two years ago. Although Schippers, McGrone, and Thompson do not have the experience of Ahoure and Okagbare, they have all run 22.10 or faster, while the two World medalists have never broke 22.20. 

What the Beijing 200 has lost in star power, it has gained with intrigue and accessibility. With Felix and SAFP missing, you would be hard-pressed to find another event at Worlds with so many athletes with such little experience capable of winning gold. 

 

Such is the nature of track and field, when something so seemingly trivial as scheduling can completely alter the scope of a championship.