On Sunday (7) Beijing hosts the final World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting before the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25. As such, the fields are a combination of athletes looking for a final tune-up before the big show, and those who are seeking some form of redemption after missing out on selection.
Sarah Mitton is seeking a bit of both. The two-time world indoor champion will head to Tokyo next week as one of the medal favourites in the shot put. But this weekend she may feel she has a point to prove after missing out on victory at last week’s Diamond League Final.
The Canadian was initially declared the champion, but her winning throw was later ruled to be a foul. Memories of that competition will no doubt be a motivating factor when she takes to the circle on Sunday in a competition that also includes Olympic silver medallist Maddison-Lee Wesche, Swedish record-holder Fanny Roos and China’s Zhang Linru.
There’s a strong Chinese presence in the women’s javelin. World U20 record-holder Yan Ziyi, who earlier this year extended her record to 65.89m, will line up against the two women who’ll be representing China in this discipline in Tokyo later this month: Dai Qianqian and Asian champion Su Lingdan.
One week before he takes to the startline for his first-round heat at the World Championships, USA’s Khaleb McRae will aim to produce a confidence-boosting run in Beijing. McRae, who has improved his PB to 43.91 this year, will take on compatriot Bryce Deadmon.
In the men’s 100m, Tokyo-bound trio Eloy Benitez of Puerto Rico, Andre de Grasse of Canada and Xie Zhenye of China will take on USA’s Brandon Hicklin. Meanwhile, the women’s 100m features Trinidad & Tobago’s national champion Leah Bertrand, USA’s Maia McCoy and Celera Barnes.
The men’s 110m hurdles looks set to be a showdown between US duo Freddie Crittenden and Eric Edwards. The women’s sprint hurdles line-up includes USA’s Rayniah Jones, Hungary’s Anna Toth and Germany’s Ricarda Lobe.
Elsewhere on the track, European silver medallist Louise Maraval takes on Tia-Adana Belle in the women’s 400m hurdles, while two-time Commonwealth champion Wycliffe Kinyamal faces Irish record-holder Mark English in the men’s 800m.
World silver medallist Ernest John Obiena leads a pole vault field that also includes Huang Bokai and Li Chenyang, the two men who have set Chinese records this year.
Will Williams, who’ll represent the USA in Tokyo later this month, takes on compatriot Cameron Crump in the men’s long jump.