The 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, begin this Friday, Sep. 27. Here is the men's distance preview, from 800m to the marathon.

Men’s 800m

Reigning Champion: Pierre-Ambroise Bosse

2019 Diamond League Champion: Donavan Brazier

Event Schedule: Sep. 28 (First Round); Sep. 29 (Semifinal); Oct. 1 (Final)

Analysis:

All pressure and all eyes will be on Nijel Amos to live up to his lofty 1:41.89 world lead by delivering an 800m world title in Doha. The 25-year-old Botswanan has struggled in major championships outside of his silver medal as a precocious teen in the 2012 Olympics, as Amos has not medaled on the global stage since. Plus, any advantage that he gained from his electric run on July 12 in Monaco — the fastest in the world since 2012 — fizzled after Amos injured his hamstring just eight days later. 

After missing over a month of racing, he returned in Zurich on Aug. 29 and swung for the fences in the Diamond League final, ultimately running out of steam in the aftermath of a 48-second opening lap. He still ran 1:42.98, but Donavan Brazier left him standing still in the final 100m. In that moment, the American took over as the gold medal favorite.

Brazier’s 1:42.70 was the fastest performance by an American in 31 years and slotted him behind only U.S. record holder Johnny Gray. The 22-year-old has developed into a tactical master this season, a welcome change after strategic mishaps dotted his early professional career. His last 200m in Zurich — where he went from sixth to first in an elegant sprint — was a true art form. Brazier has a different swagger about him in 2019, and he enters Doha having not lost an 800m final since May 3. An American has never won the 800m world title, but Brazier has the momentum to become the first.

But, as the 2017 final showed, this event can go off script over three rounds. Frenchman Pierre-Ambroise Bosse won gold in London despite entering the championships with a meager 1:44 season-best, while Poland's Adam Kszczot took silver even though he didn't break 1:45 until the final. (Kszczot has finished second at back-to-back World Championships.) 

As per usual, the Kenyans loom large here. Nineteen-year-old Kenyan champion Ngeno Kipngetich is unproven, but he beat 1:42 men Emmanuel Korir and Ferguson Cheruiyot for the Trials' title on Sep. 13. All three have a legitimate shot at gold. Former global medalists Amel Tuka and Clayton Murphy also have had solid seasons that put them in the medal hunt.

My Podium Picks: GOLD: Donavan Brazier SILVER: Nijel Amos BRONZE: Emmanuel Korir

Men’s 1500m

Reigning Champion: Elijah Manangoi (Not Competing)

2019 Diamond League Champion: Timothy Cheruiyot

Event Schedule: Oct. 3 (First Round); Oct. 4 (Semifinal); Oct. 6 (Final)

Analysis:

Twenty-three-year-old Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot has lost to just one man over the last two seasons, and fortunately for him, that man — the 2017 world champion Elijah Manangoi — will not be in Doha. Manangoi has an injured ankle that will keep him from defending his gold, which seemingly removes the only impediment standing between Cheruiyot and a world title in 2019. The three-time Diamond League champion has been his usual dominant self this year, winning all but one of his races. And the Kenyan hasn’t just been winning, he’s been crushing his competition: Cheruiyot’s average margin of victory in his last six 1500m races is a whopping 1.2 seconds.

Of course, championship 1500m running is chaotic and the hierarchy of the event can shift over three rounds. Cheruiyot’s gap on the rest of the field is large enough that his position appears secure, but a sea of men behind him will vie for the other two podium spots. 

Super teen Jakob Ingebrigtsen is light on global championship experience, but his last two seasons have been better than anyone not named Cheruiyot. The 19-year-old finished second behind the Kenyan on three occasions in 2019, including a runner-up in the Diamond League final. His brother Filip got a medal two years ago in London, and now could be Jakob’s turn.

A quick capsule of other medal contenders:

-- Matthew Centrowitz: The 2016 Olympic champion is clearly strong after running a 13:00 5K on Sep. 10. His tactics ensure he’ll be around in the final lap.

-- Ronald Musagala: The Uganda native won two Diamond League races in August and finished no worse than fifth in five races on the circuit this season.

-- Craig Engels: The U.S. champion is an outdoor global championship rookie but his finishing speed has been consistently strong all year. Like Musagala, Engels has been top five in each of his Diamond League appearances this year. His 51.92 last lap in the U.S. final to beat Centrowitz was a masterclass of fitness and tactics.

-- Filip Ingebrigtsen: The 2017 bronze medalist is better known now as Jakob’s older brother, but Filip has quietly had another strong season in 2019.

-- Taoufik Makhloufi: Big Makh is back after missing the previous two seasons with injury. The 2012 Olympic champion has run 3:31 this season and he knows how to turn it on at the championships.

-- Ayanleh Souleiman: Injuries have haunted the 3:47 miler at the last two world championships, but the 26-year-old has four runner-up finishes in the Diamond League this year. The Djiboutian was fourth in the 2016 Olympic final.

-- Abdelaati Iguider: The Moroccan has remarkably competed at every outdoor global championship since 2007, a span of nine straight events. The 32-year-old has finished top five in the 1500m on five occasions. 

My Podium Picks: GOLD: Timothy Cheruiyot SILVER: Matthew Centrowitz BRONZE: Ronald Musagala

Men’s 5,000m

Reigning Champion: Muktar Edris

2019 Diamond League Champion: Joshua Cheptegei (Not Competing)

Event Schedule: Sep. 27 (First Round); Sep. 30 (Final)

Analysis:

Go ahead and pick a name out of a hat, because the odds are probably better that you’ll randomly select the men’s 5,000m champion than by prognostication. 

Across seven 5K/3K races on the Diamond League this season (including two non-Diamond competitions), there were five different winners, including two — Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha and Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei — who are not running the event at Worlds. Each of Hagos Gebrhiwet, Selemon Barega, and Telahun Bekele has proven to be viable gold threats with their various victories, but none has emerged from the pack enough to be labeled the favorite.

That said, there’s a reason for each of these three to like their chances.

The 25-year-old Gebrhiwet has been an international mainstay since 2012, and he’s medaled at three of the last four outdoor global championships. The Ethiopian finished top three in every 5,000m race besides one this year, with that one race coming when he miscounted laps in Lausanne. His 10,000m strength — he ran the world-leading 26:48 on July 17 —  and experience will benefit him over the rounds in Doha. 

What two young gun Ethiopians, 19-year-old Selemon Barega and 20-year-old Telahun Bekele, lack in championship success they make up for with their raw speed. Barega ran 12:43 last summer, the world junior record and the fastest time in the world since 2005. The teen was fifth in London two years ago as a 17-year-old and has been a factor in every Diamond League competition he’s run over the last three seasons. There are concerns, however, about his tactical decision-making, as Barega was only fourth in the World U20 Championships last year. Bekele finished a place behind Barega at U20s, but he has been much improved this season with a 12:54 world lead at the Rome Diamond League in June. He will make his senior championship debut in Doha.

Not mentioned so far are two men who finished on the London podium two years ago. Muktar Edris stunned Mo Farah in 2017 by becoming the first man since 2009 to beat the 10-time global champion in a 5,000m championship race. But the 25-year-old has struggled this season, with his lone 5,000m race bringing a lowly 18th-place finish in Lausanne. Edris hasn’t raced since July 9.

American Paul Chelimo is the only man competing in Doha who has medaled in the last two global championship 5,000m races with his silver in Rio and bronze in London. The 28-year-old is never a Diamond League headliner, but he thrives with hardware on the line. That said, there are some concerns with Chelimo’s results in 2019. Aside from an impressive runner-up finish in the Pre 3K in June, the American has not been competitive in any race on the international circuit this year. He was also beaten for the U.S. title in July, albeit by a man in Lopez Lomong who proceeded to run 13:00 on Sep. 10. Even if you don’t read the tea leaves as a negative sign for Chelimo’s chances in Doha, he’ll need to have his best race of the year to medal again.

The Kenyan men have stunk in the 5,000m for the last few years, but 20-year-old Nicholas Kimeli could reverse that trend after placing third in the Diamond League final on Sep. 6. Kimeli has no championship experience, but he’s run under 13:00 twice this year.

Canadian and Bowerman Track Club’s Moh Ahmed is another man to watch. The 28-year-old finished fourth in the Rio Olympic 5,000m and sixth in the London World Championship final a year later. Ahmed looks primed to take another step after running a 12:58 national record this season.  

The ultimate sleeper in this field is Jakob Ingebrigtsen. The teen is much better known for his 1500m exploits, but he ran 13:02 in his lone race at the distance this year in London and pushed Gebrhiwet all the way to the line. With the 5,000m coming before the 1500m begins, the youngest Ingebrigtsen will be fresh.

My Podium Picks: GOLD: Hagos Gebrhiwet SILVER: Selemon Barega BRONZE: Moh Ahmed

Men’s 10,000m

Reigning Champion: Mo Farah (Not Competing)

Event Schedule: Oct 6

Analysis:

Two things to know right off the bat that will make this year’s 10,000m different from recent history: 10-time gold medalist Mo Farah will not compete in Doha, and the 10,000m is after the 5,000m on the schedule. We know Farah’s absence will leave a considerable void at the top, but we don’t know how athletes doubling in the five and the 10 will physically respond to the program being flipped this year. The 5,000m final and 10,000m are six days apart, but it’s still a factor that could give those not doubling an advantage.

Given his runner-up finish in this event two years ago, his World cross country title in March, and a victory in the 5,000m Diamond League final on Sep. 6, Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei is the pre-race favorite. Cheptegei was just 0.43 seconds behind Mo Farah in London and his speed has improved over the last two years. A 12:57 5,000m PB in Zurich and a defeat of Hagos Gebrhiwet — the 10,000m world leader and top contender for gold — was a huge momentum builder for Doha. Among the World Championships competitors who broke 13:00 this season, Cheptegei is the lone man skipping the 5,000m.

Nineteen-year-old Rhonex Kipruto of Kenya is green to the world stage but has all the talent to become the new king of the 10,000m. Kipruto made his name in 2018 by running a 26:48 10K on the road, just two seconds off the fastest legal mark in history. Kipruto has raced sparingly this summer, but his dominant 26:50 win over Gebrhiwet in late May put him in the thick of the medal hunt.

Another Ugandan, 18-year-old Jacob Kiplimo, should not be overlooked. Even though it was a downhill course, Kiplimo’s world best 26:41 road 10K last December was an eye-opener. He validated that run with a silver medal behind his countryman Joshua Cheptegei at World Cross in March. Two years prior, he won the U20 cross country title in his native Uganda. Kiplimo is unproven on the track, but his road and cross country exploits make him a valid contender in Doha.

All three in the Ethiopian trio of Gebrhiwet, Yomif Kejelcha, and Selemon Barega each staked a claim for a podium finish with their trio of sub-26:50 runs in July. While Gebhiwet and Barega will be coming back from the 5,000m, indoor mile world record holder Kejelcha will not, a fact that should have the 22-year-old extra motivated to perform well in his lone race at these championships. Despite holding mile/5,000m PBs of 3:47/12:46 and winning two Diamond Leagues 5K races this summer, Kejelcha wasn’t selected for Ethiopia’s 5,000m squad. I think it was a mistake to leave him off for that distance, but the side benefit is that a man with his speed will be completely fresh for the 10,000m.

An American man has never medaled in the 10,000m at Worlds, but 34-year-old Lopez Lomong has an excellent shot to end that drought after running a 13:00 5,000m recently and sweeping both the 5,000m and 10,000m at USAs in July. Lomong has been revitalized in 2019 thanks to a healthy season, and the 53.35 last lap he ran to beat Paul Chelimo in the U.S. 5K on July 28 proved he has the speed to hang with the big dogs at Worlds. Lomong is still relatively inexperienced over 25 laps — he’s only run four 10,000m in his life — but two Olympic trips and two World Championship appearances have him plenty prepared for this stage.

My Podium Picks: GOLD: Joshua Cheptegei SILVER: Rhonex Kipruto BRONZE: Yomif Kejelcha

Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase

Reigning Champion: Conseslus Kipruto

2019 Diamond League Champion: Getnet Wale

Event Schedule: Oct. 1 (First Round); Oct. 4 (Final)

Analysis:

A Kenyan-born man has won every 3,000m steeplechase world title since 1991, but that streak is in jeopardy after the East African country failed to win a single Diamond League steeple competition in 2019. (Kenyan Benjamin Kigen won in Rome, but it was not an official Diamond League race.) 

With defending champion Conseslus Kipruto scrambling to get back in shape after an injury kept him out until August, the throne is there for the taking for men like Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali and Ethiopian Getnet Wale. The two men combined to win all five Diamond Leagues this season, with El Bakkali taking three wins and Wale two, including the Brussels Diamond League final on Sep. 6.

With Kipruto less than 100 percent, 23-year-old El Bakkali is the logical favorite given his silver medal two years ago, 7:58 speed, and those three wins in 2019. He has proven himself to be a strong championship runner with the medal in London and a fourth-place finish at the Olympics in 2016.

Wale is much less proven at just 19, although he did qualify for the final at the 2017 World Championships. Despite the country’s long history of success in the long-distance events, an Ethiopian has never medaled in the steeplechase at Worlds, a trend that each of Wale and countrymen Chala Beyo and Lamecha Girma will try to end in Doha. Beyo finished top four in four Diamond League meetings this season, while Girma, just 18, was third in Brussels.

Non-Kenyan contenders have looked stronger of late than the Kenyans, but it certainly would be no surprise to see them represented on the podium once again. Yes, Kipruto has been mediocre so far in his return from a prolonged injury, but his sterling resume at championships — four straight global medals dating back to 2013, and two consecutive golds — is formidable even if he’s not completely on form. He did, however, DNF his last race at the Kenyan Trials on Sep. 13.

Other Kenyan names to watch include 18-year-old Trials champion Leonard Bett as well as 8:05 man Benjamin Kigen, who beat both Wale and El Bakkali at the All Africa Games on Aug. 26. Kigen has raced a ton this year —12 steeple finals — and he’s won six of them.

For the Americans, 2019 U.S. champion Hillary Bor has the best shot at a medal. Bor was six seconds back of the top three in Brussels, so he’ll need to be better in Doha to find the podium.

My Podium Picks: GOLD: Soufiane El Bakkali SILVER: Conseslus Kipruto BRONZE: Getnet Wale

Men’s Marathon

Reigning Champion: Geoffrey Kirui

Event Schedule: Oct. 5 (11:59 PM)

Analysis:

Are you ready to get weird? How about a marathon run in the middle of the night with temperatures expected to be in the upper 80s and oppressive humidity. You can bet there’s going to be a mountain of DNFs, and predicting this contest based on typical racing conditions is likely to be a fool’s errand. The first man to cross the finish line in Doha won’t so much win the race as survive it the best. I would venture to guess that less than half of the field will make it that far.

There’s never really been a major marathon run in conditions like these, so who knows who will manage the course best or how fast this will be run. World Championships marathons are often tactical since they’re typically run in the summer months, and this climate could push that tendency to the extreme. The slowest winning time in event history — currently 2:15:59 from Osaka in 2007 when temperatures rose to the mid-80s — seems like a reasonable expectation.

Nonetheless, this 26.2 miles should be fascinating based on the elite field that has agreed to take on the challenge. Even with past champions like Geoffrey Kirui and Stephen Kiprotich in the race, 27-year-old Mosinet Geremew is the headliner after running 2:02:55 in London to become the second-fastest man in history. The Ethiopian has only been running marathons since 2017, but he’s never had a bad one in the span of five races.

Fellow Ethiopian Mule Wasihun was only 21 seconds behind Geremew at London in April, a 2:03:16 that slotted him ninth all-time. The knock against Wasihun is that he’s never won a marathon, but with five sub-2:07s under his belt, he’s certainly a contender.

Despite being slated to defend in New York City Marathon title on Nov. 3, Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa is curiously on the start list. I can’t imagine a scenario in which Desisa runs two marathons within a month, but his name on the entry sheet warrants a mention. Desisa has World Championship marathon experience — he won silver in 2013 and was seventh in 2015 — and he’s a strong championship-style runner. If he makes the wise decision to skip, another Ethiopian — Shura Kitata — would be a fine fill-in. Kitata finished just two seconds behind Desisa in New York last year and has run 2:04:49.

Don’t count out the former champions, however. He hasn’t run faster than 2:07 since 2015, but Ugandan Stephen Kiprotich has three times finished top eight in this race, including his victory in 2013. Kenya’s Kirui dominated this event two years ago in London. He’s a grinder who isn’t scared of tough conditions (see his 2018 Boston runner-up finish for proof). Kirui hasn’t quite lived up to the lofty standards set when he swept Boston and Worlds in 2017, but he’s very much still a gold meal threat here.

The last guy I have to mention: 2018 Boston champion Yuki Kawauchi. He’s at his best when the weather is at its worst, and a little heat won’t scare the man who once ran a half marathon in a panda suit. 

My Podium Picks: GOLD: Mosinet Geremew SILVER: Geoffrey Kirui BRONZE: Mule Wasihun