5. Felix vs Miller & Jackson
The woman with the most number of World Championships medals in American history, Allyson Felix is looking for new territories to conquer, and would love to add the Olympic title to her 400m world GOLD medal which she struck with a WL of 49.26s in Beijing. This will be Felix’s second attempt at the double in a major championship, after experimenting at the 2011 edition of the worlds in Daegu where she took Silver in the 400m, and Bronze in the 200m.
Not every athlete can boast of having the Olympic timetable amended to accommodate their schedule, but Felix was accorded that honour against the backdrop of her fantastic outing last year, winning the 400m at the US Trials and then the World Championships. The world will be eagerly waiting to see if she can successfully pull off the daunting task of striking GOLD in the 200m/400m.
She would face the likes of Shaunae Miller whose Silver winning exploit in the 400m in Beijing shows that she has come of age. The 21-year old may as well try out her luck by joining Felix in going for the double, seeing that she set an NR in the 200m earlier in 2015 as she blazed the trail at the Jamaica Invitational where she defeated Fraser-Pryce and Bowie. The former World Youth and Junior champion in the 400m will be keen on extending her winning streak to the senior level.
Jamaica’s new kid on the block, Shericka Jackson stunned her more experienced team mates to claim Bronze in Beijing. She will be hoping to consolidate on this performance in 2016. It will be great to see the 22-year old participate in the IAAF Diamond League series where she will get to rub shoulders with the world’s best while trying to get to the top of her game.
It will be a tough call, considering that the big names including Olympic champion, Sanya Richards-Ross and Francena McCorory will be making a return to top flight action after failing to make the US team to the worlds, much to the dismay of their fans. The women’s 400m is definitely one event to watch out for this season!
I want know if Nigeria has any hope in the coming Rio Olympics. Thanks.
Well, we can only be hopeful. It’s a tough call, but anything can happen.
As long as the rivalry between Nigel AMOS and Rudisha (800m) is not in the list then the expected excitement in the league is incomplete.
Hi Ogopotse, the rivalry between Nijel Amos and David Rudisha is the real deal and cannot be ignored, so we put it in a different article titled ‘Top 6 African Athletics Rivalries in 2016’. Here is the link: https://www.makingofchamps.com/2016/02/01/8321/. Thanks!