LIVE

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RACES

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RESULTS

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ENTRIES

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SCHEDULE

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INTERVIEWS

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MEDALS

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PICKS

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CONTEST

SPRINTS

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MID-DISTANCE

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DISTANCE

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HURDLES

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JUMPS

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THROWS

 

2014 World Indoor Champion Mutaz Essa Barshim currently owns the event with a 2.41m world-leading season’s best from the stand-off at the Prefontaine Classic. Although he holds the best mark in 2015, Barshim hasn’t looked in top form recently after finishing third and second at London and Stockholm Diamond League meetings, respectively. Hometown favorite Zhang Guowei is currently ranked No. 2 in the world with a clearance of 2.38m which he also made at the Pre Classic. On the American side, Olympic silver medalist Erik Kynard will be in medal contention with his season’s and personal best mark of 2.37m from the USATF Outdoor Championships. He hasn’t performed up to typical Kynard standards recently after finishing fourth in Paris, London and Stockholm Diamond League meetings, but Kynard is always one to compete when it matters most. He will be joined by up and coming contender JaCorian Duffield who recently made a huge statement by beating both Kynard and Barshim at the Stockholm Diamond League meeting. 2013 World Champion Bohdan Bondarenko will also be in position to repeat his title in Beijing after posting a season’s best of 2.37m in May. His recent competitions haven’t been close to his season’s best, but the World Champion can never be counted out. 

 

Men’s Pole Vault

 

2012 Olympic Champion Renaud Lavillenie continues to dominate the men’s pole vault with the top mark of 2015 at 6.05m. The 2014 Diamond League Champion’s season’s best mark comes from Prefontaine Classic. If he takes the World title, Lavillenie would not only be the first Frenchman to win the event, but he would have gold from all major championships, including Worlds, Olympics, World Indoor, and European. The closest competitor to challenge him is 2013 World Champion Raphael Marcel Holzdeppe who has a season’s best of 5.94m from the German national championships on July 26. NCAA Champion Shawn Barber of Canada is also in medal contention with 5.93m season’s best from London Diamond League meeting in July. 

 

Men’s Long Jump

 

American Jeff Henderson is currently leading the charge after jumping 8.52m at the Pan Am Championships where he won a gold medal for Team USA. At this moment, Jefferson holds the top three marks in the world in 2015 at 8.52m, 8.50m, and 8.44m. Zarck Visser of South Africa is behind him with a 8.41m season’s best from July 4. Former Florida Gator and NCAA Champion Marquis Dendy is currently sitting as the third-ranked long jumper in 2015 with a monster jump at the USATF Outdoor Championships where he won in 8.39m. More recently, Dendy finished first at the London Diamond League meeting and second at the Stockholm meeting. Defending Olympic and World Champion Greg Rutherford is currently sitting fifth in the world in 2015 with 8.35m jump from Birmingham on June 7. 

 

Men’s Triple Jump

 

2013 World Championship silver medalist Pedro P. Pichardo is currently owning the men’s triple jump this year with a world lead of 18.08m from May. A rivalry has ensued between the Cuban and Olympic Champion Christian Taylor, who sits behind him with a season’s best of 18.06m from the Lausanne Diamond League meeting. The two have been trading off top spots all season long. If Taylor wins, he would become just the second athlete ever to win two World Championships in the triple jump. Omar Craddock of U.S. is also in the medal contention mix with 17.53m jump from the USATF Outdoor Championships. 

 

Women’s High Jump

 

Olympic Champion Anna Chicherova holds the world lead at 2.03m from the Lausanne Diamond League meeting where she swept the event from Ruth Beitia of Spain and Erika Kinsey of Sweden. Beitia is the closest competitor to the World Championships silver medalist after she cleared 2.00m at the Diamond League meeting in Rome. Maria Kuchina is also in medal contention with 2.00m from the Monaco Diamond League. With similar season’s best in 2015, Chicherova, Beitia and Kuchina should make for a tight final in Beijing. 

 

Women’s Pole Vault

 

Yarisley Silva of Cuba is the recent owner of the world lead in the event this year after clearing 4.91m at Beckum on Aug. 2. The clearance puts her significantly ahead of the rest of the world competitors as Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou holds the next best mark in 4.83m from the Paris Diamond League meeting. If she cracks the top three, she would be the first Greek to ever win a medal in the pole vault. American Jenn Suhr rides the third-ranked spot with her 4.82m clearance from the USATF Outdoor Championships, but hasn’t competed in any Diamond League meetings this summer. Fabian Murer shouldn’t be counted out either after hitting 4.80m in New York this past June. Although Silva is significantly ahead of the pack, a final between Kyriakopoulou of Greece, Suhr of the U.S., and Murer of Brazil will be sure to excite the crowd. 

 

Women’s Long Jump

Tianna Bartoletta should have this World Championships in the bag after jumping 7.12m at the USATF Outdoor Championships, which stands 0.13m ahead of the second-best competitor in the world, Christabel Nettey of Canada. If Bartoletta takes gold, it would be 10 years after her first gold medal at the World Championships in 2005. Nettey cleared 6.99m at the Prefontaine Classic this past May. Great Britain’s Shara Proctor will be in the mix as well after hitting 6.98m at the London Diamond League meeting. Olympic Champion Brittney Reese holds strong in fourth this year with a season’s best of 6.97m from USATF Outdoor Championships, and will be on a mission to four-peat as the World Champion in the event. 

 

Women’s Triple Jump

2014 World Indoor Champion Ekaterina Koneva is head and shoulders above the field this year with a season’s best of 15.04m from Prefontaine Classic. She’ll be challenged by 2013 World Champion Caterine Ibarguen from Columbia who holds a season’s best of 14.88m from the Prefontaine Classic as well. The two jumpers have been going back and forth since May and should provide an exciting final in Beijing. 2011 World Champion Olga Saladukha of Ukraine will be looking to contend as well with a season’s best of 14.62m from Shanghai. Gabriela Petrova is next in line to contend with a 14.64m season’s best from June 8. If Saladuha or Ibarguen take the World title, they would become just the third athlete to win the event twice at the World Championships.