MOSCOW, RUSSIA (Sporting Alert) — World Record holder Usain Bolt returns to action on Friday when he races in the heats of the men’s 200m at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia.
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Also set to face the starter’s gun on day seven is Great Britain’s double Olympic champion Mo Farah, who goes in the men’s 5000m final and Olympic champion Allyson Felix of USA, who take on Jamaican 100m world gold medallist Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce in the women’s 200m final.
Bolt, who won the 100m title earlier this week in 9.77 seconds, goes in the last heat of the men’s 200m against his training partner Delano Williams of Great Britain.
Olympic bronze medallist Warren Weir, another training partner of Bolt, is a favorite to improve on the color of that medal and he should have no problems taking heat three of the early rounds.
Nickel Ashmeade, a finalist in the 100m for Jamaica, American Wallace Spearmon, Jamaican Jason Livermore, Great Britain’s Adam Gemili also go in the opening heats.
The semi-finals of the event will be in the evening session.
The women’s 200m final is also on Friday, with Felix, Fraser-Pryce, Murielle Ahoure and Blessing Okagbare the main candidates for the medals.
Felix, Ahoure and Fraser-Pryce where all semi-finals winners, while Blessing also looked impressive when chasing home the American in her heat.
The Nigerian missed out on the medals in the 100m and she is hoping to make amends in the half-lap.
I just want to do well as long as my body carries me,” Okagbare said. “Regardless of how I feel, I have to go through the competition and see what happens.
Meanwhile, after winning the men’s 10,000m gold medal, Farah goes in search of the double when he takes on a very strong field in the 5000m.
At the London Olympic Games last summer, Farah impressively sealed the double and come Friday evening, the Britain star will look to get past the likes of training partner Galen Rupp, Ethiopians Yenew Alamirew and Hagos Gebrhiwet, Kenyan pair Edwin Soi and Isaiah Koech and U.S. veteran Bernard Lagat.
Elsewhere, USA will start favorite to win the men’s 4x400m after posting a world-leading time of 2:59.85 in the heats, despite resting LaShawn Merritt and Tony McQuay, who finished 1-2 in the open event.
Jamaica (3:00.41) Trinidad and Tobago (3:00.48), Great Britain (3:00.50) and Belgium (3:00.81) are expected to fight for the other podium places.
“We have a young team and I think we can get a medal,” said Jamaican Javere Bell. “It would mean a lot to us, and to me, as it is my first World Cahmpionships.
“None of us made it to the final in the individual 400m, so I’m happy we did it in the relay.”
A wide open men’s long jump final is also on day seven, while the impressive Ryan Whiting leads all the finallists in the men’s shot put and home favorite Tatyana Lysenko heads the list of competitors in the women’s hammer throw final.
