IAAF World Championships Preview: Day 1
IAAF World Championships Preview: Day 1
The IAAF World Indoor Championships kick off tomorrow at 2:30 AM eastern time.
Meet website
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 Friday and 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 Friday and Saturday and 6:15 am on Sunday.
Those four women are Jessica Ennis (Great Britain), the defending champion; Tatyana Chernova (Russia), the reigning World heptathlon champion; Natalia Dobrynska (Ukraine), the reigning Olympic heptathlon champion; and Yekaterina Bolshova (Russia), owner of the year's best score.
Look for Ennis to get off to a hot start in the first event, the 60 hurdles (4:25 AM ET). She's the fastest in the world this year -- not just among multi-event athletes, but among everyone. She's also the best in the high jump (5:05 AM), on paper at least, but Bolshova is also tough. When we get to the shot put (6:45 AM), Dobrynska is by far the best.
Also in the "morning session" are the early events in the men's heptathlon. Ashton Eaton, the USA's lone entrant, is the world record holder in this event and thus is a prohibitive favorite. Look for him to win the 60 meters (4:35 AM) by a wide margin. Eaton is also strong in the long jump (5:35 AM), as he's fresh off a win at the USATF Indoor Championships.
Other "morning" session events to watch:
Women's 3000 meters heats (3:50 AM): Can Jackie Areson and/or Sara Hall advance to the finals?
Women's 800 meters heats (4:50 AM): Phoebe Wright and new find Erica Moore will have to be at the top of their game to get through to the finals.
The men's heptathlon continues with the shot put (10:40 AM), in which Eaton usually gives up a lot of points to his rivals, and the high jump (11:50 AM), an event where Eaton has jumped well at times but tends to run hot and cold.
The other final on Friday is the men's shot put (12:15 pm). Based on 2012 form, the favorites are Americans Reese Hoffa and Ryan Whiting, but it would be foolish to discount reigning world outdoor champion David Storl (Germany), Canadian record-holder Dylan Armstrong, or Polish star Tomasz Majewski.
Other events to watch...
Women's 1500 meters heats (11:30 AM): While it looks like an uphill battle for Sara Vaughn to qualify, Brenda Martinez stands a good chance to get through to the final.
Men's 3000 meters heats (noon): Bernard Lagat and Mo Farah are drawn in the same heat, but this is just a qualifying round. Lopez Lomong is in the other heat and will have to run very well to get to the final.
Women's 400 meters semifinals (12:50 pm): Sanya Richards-Ross is expected to qualify, but at times she has struggled with multi-round championships. If Natasha Hasting runs well, she could make it to the final as well.
Men's 400 meters semifinals (1:10 PM): The US entrants, Gil Roberts and Calvin Smith, do not represent our 'A' team in this event. Nevertheless, they could make it to the final if they run well. The favorites read like a who's who of recent collegians: Kirani James (Alabama/Grenada), Demetrius Pinder (Texas A&M/Bahamas), Tabarie Henry (Texas A&M/Virgin Islands).
Meet website
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 Friday and 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 Friday and Saturday and 6:15 am on Sunday.
Morning Session
The major event in the "morning" session (the middle of the night in the USA) is the start of the women's pentathlon. Athletics Weekly calls the pentathlon "an epic clash"; they say four women not only have a shot at winning gold but breaking the world record.Those four women are Jessica Ennis (Great Britain), the defending champion; Tatyana Chernova (Russia), the reigning World heptathlon champion; Natalia Dobrynska (Ukraine), the reigning Olympic heptathlon champion; and Yekaterina Bolshova (Russia), owner of the year's best score.
Look for Ennis to get off to a hot start in the first event, the 60 hurdles (4:25 AM ET). She's the fastest in the world this year -- not just among multi-event athletes, but among everyone. She's also the best in the high jump (5:05 AM), on paper at least, but Bolshova is also tough. When we get to the shot put (6:45 AM), Dobrynska is by far the best.
Also in the "morning session" are the early events in the men's heptathlon. Ashton Eaton, the USA's lone entrant, is the world record holder in this event and thus is a prohibitive favorite. Look for him to win the 60 meters (4:35 AM) by a wide margin. Eaton is also strong in the long jump (5:35 AM), as he's fresh off a win at the USATF Indoor Championships.
Other "morning" session events to watch:
Women's 3000 meters heats (3:50 AM): Can Jackie Areson and/or Sara Hall advance to the finals?
Women's 800 meters heats (4:50 AM): Phoebe Wright and new find Erica Moore will have to be at the top of their game to get through to the finals.
Afternoon Session
The women's pentathlon finishes up with the long jump (10:05 AM), Chernova's strongest event, and the 800 meters (12:35 PM), where Chernova and Bolshova have an advantage.The men's heptathlon continues with the shot put (10:40 AM), in which Eaton usually gives up a lot of points to his rivals, and the high jump (11:50 AM), an event where Eaton has jumped well at times but tends to run hot and cold.
The other final on Friday is the men's shot put (12:15 pm). Based on 2012 form, the favorites are Americans Reese Hoffa and Ryan Whiting, but it would be foolish to discount reigning world outdoor champion David Storl (Germany), Canadian record-holder Dylan Armstrong, or Polish star Tomasz Majewski.
Other events to watch...
Women's 1500 meters heats (11:30 AM): While it looks like an uphill battle for Sara Vaughn to qualify, Brenda Martinez stands a good chance to get through to the final.
Men's 3000 meters heats (noon): Bernard Lagat and Mo Farah are drawn in the same heat, but this is just a qualifying round. Lopez Lomong is in the other heat and will have to run very well to get to the final.
Women's 400 meters semifinals (12:50 pm): Sanya Richards-Ross is expected to qualify, but at times she has struggled with multi-round championships. If Natasha Hasting runs well, she could make it to the final as well.
Men's 400 meters semifinals (1:10 PM): The US entrants, Gil Roberts and Calvin Smith, do not represent our 'A' team in this event. Nevertheless, they could make it to the final if they run well. The favorites read like a who's who of recent collegians: Kirani James (Alabama/Grenada), Demetrius Pinder (Texas A&M/Bahamas), Tabarie Henry (Texas A&M/Virgin Islands).