By David Woods for DyeStat

Crash Kamon photo

The World Athletics Championships open a nine-day run Saturday in Budapest, Hungary. It will be a such a compelling meet that it’s hard to trim storylines, but here are 10 (with an admittedly American slant):

PRE-MEET DYESTAT DISCUSSIONS 

1. Is it Sha’Carri’s time?

To win what could be 100-meter race for the ages, Sha’Carri Richardson will have to beat the aged.

Two contenders for the gold medal are Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, 36, and Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou, 34. Shericka Jackson, 29, is the world leader after winning the Jamaican trials in 10.65.

Richardson, 23, has had a breakout season as she approaches her first global championship. She is 8-1 in the 100, featuring Diamond League wins at Doha and Silesia. Her lone loss was to another worlds contender, Julien Alfred, 22, the NCAA champion representing Texas and Saint Lucia. Alfred is 11-0.

Season bests: Jackson 10.65, Richardson 10.71, Ta Lou 10.72, Fraser-Pryce 10.82, Alfred 10.83.

Fraser-Pryce pulled out of the 200 to concentrate on the 100, and she started her season late. She is trying to win a sixth time and equal pole vaulter Sergey Bubka’s record of six golds in one event.

In last year’s Worlds at Eugene, Ore., Fraser-Pryce took gold in a championship record of 10.67. Ta Lou secured silver behind the late Tori Bowie in 2017, and a bronze in 2019.

Interestingly, Fraser-Pryce is 3-3 against Richardson head-to-head, although the Jamaican has won the past three meetings.

2. Noah Lyles’ sprint double

Nothing like making yourself a target while targeting sprint history.

That is what Noah Lyles has done by announcing his Budapest goals: 9.65 in the 100, compared with Usain Bolt’s world record of 9.58, and 19.10 in the 200, compared with Bolt’s 19.19.

On the other hand, this is Lyles being himself, promoting his brand and his sport and this meet. He said he would be content with a medal of any color in the 100.

He is a clear favorite in the 200, having won gold last year in 19.31 and clocking a world-leading 19.47 at London. He has won 17 in a row at this distance since a disappointing bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Inevitably, 20-year-old Letsile Tebogo of Botswana or 19-year-old Erriyon Knighton will overtake Lyles – someday. They are Nos. 2 and 3 on the world list at 19.50 and 19.72, just ahead of British record-holder Zharnel Hughes, 19.73.

The 100 meters is wide open. Really wide. Eleven entries are crammed between 9.83, by Hughes, and 9.91.

Fred Kerley led an American medal sweep last year but lost to South Africa’s Akani Simbine in his most recent outing, July 16 at Silesia. With a Worlds bye, he skipped the 100 at nationals, improbably won by Cravont Charleston. Charleston was reported to have been hurt at a relay training camp. Christian Coleman, the 2019 World champion, was second at nationals and Lyles third.

High school superstar Issam Asinga, 18, of Suriname, set a tentative under-20 world record of 9.89 at the South American Championships, but subsequently failed a doping test and has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit.

Other African contenders are Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala (9.84), South African’s Shaun Maswanganyi (9.91) and Tebogo (9.93). Not since 2003 has someone outside the United States or Jamaica won gold.

Then there’s Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs. The 28-year-old Italian has a season best of just 10.21 and has repeatedly pulled out of meets.

3. Jakob Ingebrigtsen gets do-over in 1,500

It is hard to imagine anyone beating Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the 1,500 meters.

But it was hard to imagine that in 2022, too, and he lost in both World Championships – indoors to Ethiopia’s Samuel Tefera and outdoors to Great Britain’s Jake Wightman.

The 22-year-old Norwegian is on an historic run in 2023, as it were. He has broken 3:29 three times, most in one year since Hicham El Guerrouj in 2002.  Average of Ingebrigtsen’s past three races is 3:27.94, including a European record of 3:27.14. The reigning Olympic champion set a two-mile world record of 7:54.70.

It could be asserted Ingebrigtsen is vulnerable in a tactical race, except his front-running has nearly removed tactics. If a race has two pacemakers, he has said, he is effectively the third pacemaker.

Whether it’s due to super shoes or super runners, the field is daunting. There are nine entries under 3:30, 18 under 3:32. That excludes Wightman, who is out with injury.

Nos. 2 and 3 on the world list are Spain’s Mohamed Katir (3:28.89), bronze medalist at Eugene, and breakout star Yared Nuguse (3:29.02, an American record if you discount Bernard Lagat’s 3:27.40 while he was representing Kenya).

Other medal threats include Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot, the 2019 World champion and Tokyo silver medalist (3:29.08), and Abel Kipsang (3:29.11); Spain’s Mario Garcia (3:29.18), a Nuguse training partner at On Athletics; Norway’s Narve Gilje Nordas (3:29.47), and Olympic bronze medalist Josh Kerr of Britain (3:29.64).

Nuguse is joined by fellow Americans Cole Hocker (3:32.14) and Joe Waskom (3:34.64). Hocker, sixth in Tokyo as a 20-year old, missed last year’s Worlds because of injury and has faced an uphill climb this year after recovering from an Achilles’ injury.

Ingebrigtsen is also running the 5,000, in which he is defending World champion.

4. Faith Kipyegon attempts 1,500/5,000 double

After running to three world records in a 50-day span, Faith Kipyegon is trying to become the first to win a 1,500/5,000 double at the World Championships. (Mary Decker won a memorable 1,500/3,000 double in the inaugural worlds at Helsinki in 1983.) 

Kipyegon, a 29-year-old Kenyan, has four gold medals and two silvers in the past six global 1,500s. Given she won by seven seconds in her 4:07.64 mile at Monaco, it is hard to concoct a scenario in which she could lose. 

Ethiopia’s three sub-3:56 entries are augmented by 2019 World champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and Olympic silver medalist Laura Muir of Britain. Jessica Hull or Linden Hall could become the first Australian woman to medal in the 1,500. U.S. champion Nikki Hiltz, a fast finisher, could contend for a medal if they stay in the trailing pack behind Kipyegon.

The tougher race for Kipyegon is the 5,000, in which Hassan and Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey and Gudaf Tsegay could all be doubling back from the 10,000. There is also World cross country champion Beatrice Chebet of Kenya.

U.S. champion Elise Cranny and American record-holder Alicia Monson are improbable medalists but should be in the mix for top eight.

5. Is Mondo still unbeatable?

Mondo Duplantis put an exclamation point on Eugene’s Worlds by vaulting to a world record of 20-4.50 (6.21m) on the final day.

He comes into Budapest off a rare defeat – his fourth since 2019 – in which he finished fourth at Monaco at 18-9.25 (5.72m).

The Louisiana-born 23-year old, who represents Sweden, had won all of his previous 11 meets this year, nine with clearances of 6 meters or higher. So, he remains the favorite, if not prohibitively so. 

Second on the world list, at 19-11 (6.07m) is KC Lightfoot. But the American record-holder did not make the U.S. team, leaving the Phillipines’ Ernest John Obiena and Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen (indoors) as the only other 6-meter vaulters in the field. Obiena earned bronze in Eugene, behind silver medalist Chris Nilsen. Also missing is another American, Sam Kendricks, the World champion in 2017 and 2019.

Duplantis last lost in a major championship, to Kendricks, as a 19-year-old at the 2019 Worlds.

Besides Nilsen, the U.S. entries are Zach Bradford (19-3.25/5.87m) and Zach McWhorter (19-2.75/5.86m).

6. Greatest decathlon ever? Lots of 8,600+ scores

Former world champion Trey Hardee has asserted “this will be the BEST decathlon competition in history.”

How so?

There are 10 entries with PBs exceeding 8,600 points, featuring France’s Kevin Mayer, the world record-holder and defending champion, and Olympic gold medalist Damian Warner of Canada.

One of the best decathlons of this season was the NCAA Championships at Texas, where home favorite Leo Neugebauer of Germany set a collegiate record of 8,836 and beat Kyle Garland’s 8,630.

Mayer, 31, has not competed in a decathlon this year but is in good form. So is Warner, whose 8,619 was beaten by countryman Pierce LePage’s 8,700 at Gotzis.

The Americans have assembled such a strong three-man team that national champion Harrison Williams suggested they could sweep the medals. Williams scored 8,630 at nationals to beat 8,508 by Zach Ziemek, the 2022 World bronze medalist. Puerto Rico’s Ayden Owens-Delerme did not compete in the NCAA decathlon. He was fourth at 2022 Worlds with 8,532.

7. It’s all Hall in heptathlon

With Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone injured and out of the World Championships, NBC could use another American woman to feature in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics. Anna Hall is as good a candidate as any.

It would help if Hall came away from Budapest as World champion, and especially if she scores 7,000 points in doing so.

The 22-year old improved her PB by almost 300 points to take bronze with 6,755 last year. She scored 6.988 at Gotzis to become No. 5 on the all-time list.

Regrettably, she will not be in a showdown with Nafissatou Thiam. The 28-year-old Belgian, with two Olympic golds and two world titles, is sidelined by an Achilles’ tendon injury. Also out is Poland’s Adrianna Sulek, who along with Thiam exceeded the pentathlon world record at indoor Europeans. Sulek announced she is pregnant.

At Gotzis, Great Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson scored 6,556, her best score since winning the 2019 World title. Third at Gotzis with 6,391 was Saga Vanninen, a 20-year-old Finn who is the youngest in the field. Vanninen is the European Under-23 champion and a two-time World U20 champion.

8. Rai Benjamin chases Karsten Warholm

The 400-meter hurdles feature the three fastest men in the history of the event: Karsten Warholm, Norway, 45.94; Rai Benjamin, USA, 46.17; Alison Dos Santos, Brazil, 46.29. Moreover, they have combined for the nine best times ever, five by Warholm.

Warholm was coming off a hamstring injury at 2022 Worlds and finished seventh. He is fit again, as evidenced by his world-leading 46.51 at Monaco. He won World titles in 2017 and 2019, in addition to Olympic gold.

Benjamin was second to Warholm at the 2021 Olympics and to Dos Santos at 2022 Worlds. Benjamin impressively won at nationals in 46.62, coming off injury, but has not raced since.

Next on the yearly list are Kyron McMaster, British Virgin Islands, 47.26; CJ Allen, USA, 47.58, and Dos Santos, 47.66. Dos Santos had meniscus surgery that was supposed to end his season but has climbed back into medal contention.

9.  U.S. women’s hurdlers on rebound

After a 2022 Worlds in which Americans were shut out of the medals in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, it is hard to see that reoccurring.

Americans hold down six of the top eight on the world list, although only three may race: Nia Ali (12.30), Keni Harrison (12.31) and collegian Masai Russell (12.36).

Ali, a 34-year-old mother of three, has her fastest time since winning World gold in 2019. Her world-leading 12.30 at Monaco was her first Diamond League victory.

Harrison has finished in the top two of all 10 of her races this year. The former world record-holder has silvers from 2019 Worlds (behind Ali) and the 2021 Olympics (behind Jasmine Camacho-Quinn).

Camacho-Quinn, of Puerto Rico, is 10-0 this year, including a wind-aided 12.17 and a legal 12.31. She took bronze at 2022 Worlds after her 2021 Olympic gold.

Jamaica has bronze medalists from 2021 (Megan Tapper) and 2022 (Danielle Williams), plus Arkansas collegian Ackera Nugent. At the wind-aided NCAAs, Nugent beat Russell, 12.25 to 12.32.

Nigeria’s defending champion, Tobi Amusan, got a favorable decision from the Athletics Integrity Unit on Thursday after three whereabouts failures. She will have a chance to defend her title. She set a world record at Eugene in the semifinals.

10. Ryan Crouser: Just because

Watching Ryan Crouser in the shot put ring is akin to watching Aaron Judge in the batter’s box. He could catch hold of one at any time.

World records are infrequent in this sport. And yet Crouser set one at the 2021 Olympic Trials, had another annulled indoors and broke his own mark May 27 with a distance of 77-7.75 (23.56m) in Los Angeles.

Like other dominant figures, Crouser is so great so often that he is taken for granted.

Crouser, Joe Kovacs and Josh Awotunde swept the medals for the United States at 2022 Worlds. Kovacs was fourth at nationals but made the team because, with Crouser’s bye, the Americans earned four entries, including Payton Otterdahl.

Among those who could interrupt another U.S. sweep are New Zealand’s 31-year-old Tom Walsh, the 2017 World champ and bronze medalist at two Olympics, and Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell, who set a national record of 72-10.75 (22.22m).

Last year’s World title was actually the first for Crouser, who was upset by Kovacs in 2019. Another American, John Godina, won three: 1995, 1997, 2001.

Contact David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.