Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce:
Fraser-Pryce is renowned for her penchant of setting the track alight when it matters most during big competitions, and just putting in decent performances in lesser meets.
Such has not been the case this year, as she has appeared to take all her meets seriously, churning out fast times not many had expected her to do at this stage.
It will take an outstanding performance from her competitors to upstage her from making it back to back titles. In fact they will have to run a low 10.7s to beat her, such is her dominance at the moment. The 100m final in Beijing could see the most incredible time returned since Jeter’s 10.64s in Shanghai in 2009, which is the second fastest in history.
Fraser-Pryce has the two fastest times this year, running a World Lead twice in a week. First she claimed the Jamaican title in a time of 10.79s, and then further lowered that time when she powered to victory in Paris with a Season’s Best of 10.74s at the Paris Diamond League. If there is anybody that will stop Fraser-Pryce from winning the world title again, it just might be herself. She remains the overwhelming favourite, and a betting man wouldn’t put stakes on her losing.
Prior to her 2013 triumph in Moscow, Fraser-Pryce was expected to be ruffled in the Championships, despite coming into it as an Olympic champion, however, she went on make to history as the first female athlete to win Gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m in a single world championship.
Currently ranked 4th in the all time list with a PB of 10.70s, could she be the first woman since Jeter to run sub-10.7 and also move up the all-time list in Beijing? She has been the top performer since 2008 when she won the GOLD at the Olympics, incidentally in Beijing – will it be a triumphant return for her?
Pocket-rocket, as she is fondly called, will be brewing with confidence knowing that she is in great form ahead of the Champs, however she will know that any complacency could see others capitalize.
Other possible finalists:
*Dafne Schippers:
This year, Schippers set a new Dutch NR, and has been consistent this season. She has done three sub 11s this year and is a strong candidate to make the final.
Having not run sub 10.9s yet, she might not be in the frame for a medal in the 100m yet, but you can’t ignore the possibility. Interesting fact about her is that she just switched from Heptathlon to the sprints, and has not seemed to look back.
*Kelly Ann-Baptiste:
Ranked number 6 in the world, Baptiste has one of the fastest times this year, after running an impressive 10.84s in Port of Spain in June.
The Trinidad and Tobago athlete is another potential finalist and somehow manages to find her way in the final – not only did she finish 6th at the London Olympics, she was the Bronze medallist at the 2011 World Champs in Daegu and will be hoping for a triumphant return after sitting out the Moscow edition two years ago because of a drugs ban.
*Elaine Thompson:
Although she is not listed to compete in the 100m for Jamaica in Beijing, she gets an honourable mention as someone who could not have been ignored had she done so. Thompson’s primary focus is the 200m and she has been preparing to that effect since the Jamaican trials in June – that someone with such precocious talent has opted to do just the longer sprint must mean that her team must fancy her chances of getting a medal in the 200m more than in the 100m
She led the way in the 100m this year with a WL of 10.92s, and followed it up beating Okagbare and Allyson Felix at the Jamaican invitationals in a time of 10.97s. Thompson has a PB of 10.84s from Eugene, making her joint 6th fastest in the world this year, and also ran 10.90s to win in Madrid in July. Running a PB of 22.10s to win at the London Anniversary Games makes her the 4th fastest in the 200m this year – she is certainly a dark horse to win it all in the half lap sprint in Beijing!
****
All these athletes analysed will most likely square up against each other in the 200m. There is an uncertainty if Fraser-Pryce will defend her 200m title, having initially expressed doubts about her participation. If she does, she will have Olympic Champion Allyson Felix, who will be vying to reclaim the World Title she lost to Fraser-Pryce in Moscow, to contend with.
No doubt that Fraser-Pryce is the bookmakers favourite to win the 100m title, her form this year suggests that it is hers to lose. However, all the athletes mentioned here, all but one who have run sub 10.9s this year, stand a chance too, and they will be lurking in her shadow, waiting patiently for any slip-up to stake their claim to the World title!
