2019 World Championships Women’s Top 10 Predictions

OUR INTERNATIONAL PANEL has crunched all the data, and the overall results say that the U.S. women will experience a meet not as good as the one they had in London 2 years ago. The number of overall medals drops slightly, from 17 to 15, and the number of golds takes a bigger hit, going from 7 to 4.

If a nation is listed with 4 entries that means it has a Wild Card in that event. Any Americans who don’t make the top 10 are listed in alphabetical order at the end of the event. The right-hand column is the athlete’s PR and the year in which it was made (except in the relays, where the mark is the best from this year or last).

Chart updated as of September 26 (this is the final update).

100 METERS
•Look for a 1-2 by the Jamaican pair of Thompson and Fraser-Pryce. They’ve got matching PRs and matching ’19 yearly leaders at 10.73. They’ve only met 4 times in their careers, reigning Olympic gold medalist Thompson having been victorious in all of them… Defending champ Bowie is in on that Wild Card, but has been a shadow of her former self all year, with a seasonal best of just 11.09. Will a month of solid training be enough to bring her around?… Schippers is dealing with a back injury and may skip this one.
1.	Elaine Thompson	Jamaica	10.70 (’16)
2.	Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce	Jamaica	10.70 (’12)
3.	Dina Asher-Smith	Great Britain	10.85 (’18)
4.	Marie-Josée Ta Lou	Côte d’Ivoire	10.85 (’18)
5.	Blessing Okagbare	Nigeria	10.79 (’13)
6.	Tori Bowie	USA	10.78 (’16)
7.	Dafne Schippers	Netherlands	10.81 (’15)
8.	Teahna Daniels	USA	10.99 (’19)
9.	Tatjana Pinto	Germany	11.00 (’16)
10.	Jonielle Smith	Jamaica	11.04 (’19)
Other Americans:
Morolake Akinosun 10.95 (’16)
English Gardner 10.74 (’16)

200 METERS
•This is projecting as the fourth straight Worlds with no Americans on the podium… We don’t see a medal for defending champ Schippers either, as 2-time European champ Asher-Smith and 100 faves Thompson & SAFP stand in her way… Conspicuous in her absence is yearly leader Shaunae Miller-Uibo, who with a double not possible has put all her eggs in the 400 basket.
1.	Dina Asher-Smith	Great Britain	21.89 (’18)
2.	Elaine Thompson	Jamaica	21.66 (’15)
3.	Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce	Jamaica	22.09 (’12)
4.	Dafne Schippers	Netherlands	21.63 (’15)
5.	Blessing Okagbare	Nigeria	22.04 (’18)
6.	Mujinga Kambundji	Switzerland	22.26 (’19)
7.	Dezerea Bryant	USA	22.18 (’15)
8.	Crystal Emmanuel	Canada	22.50 (’17)
9.	Brittany Brown	USA	22.42 (’18)
10.	Vitoria Cristina Rosa	Brazil	22.62 (’19)
Other American:
Angie Annelus 22.16 (’19)

400 METERS
•Miller-Uibo had a solid homestretch lead in ’17, but stumbled in the final stages of the race and ended up 4th. That was the only time she has lost to Naser. Both will be thinking sub-49, but Naser will come in with only a single sub-50 on the year… Defending champ Francis has a seasonal best of only 50.76 and hasn’t been under 51 since June.
1.	Shaunae Miller-Uibo	Bahamas	48.97 (’18)
2.	Salwa Eid Naser	Bahrain	49.08 (’18)
3.	Shericka Jackson	Jamaica	49.78 (‘19)
4.	Shakima Wimbley	USA	49.52 (’18)
5.	Stephenie Ann McPherson	Jamaica	49.92 (’13)
6.	Phyllis Francis	USA	49.92 (‘17)
7.	Christine Botlogetswe	Botswana	50.48 (’19)
8.	Laviai Nielsen	Great Britain	50.83 (’19)
9.	Justyna Święty-Ersetic	Poland	50.41 (’18)
10.	Kendall Ellis	USA	49.99 (’18)
Other American:
Wadeline Jonathas 50.44 (’19)

800 METERS
•With the 3 Rio Olympic medalists—Caster Semenya, Francine Niyonsaba & Margaret Wambui—out of the 2-lapper because of the IAAFs testosterone restrictions, it’s a brave new world here. Semenya & Niyonsaba also went 1–2 in the ’17 WC… Ignoring the ineligibles, Wilson is undefeated on the year and won a half-dozen DL races, making her a clear favorite to move up from last time’s bronze position… Rogers leads Sharp 3–2 in this year’s meetings and has 4 sub-2:00s to the Briton’s 2… The U.S. has never had a medal better than bronze before and now might get both.
1.	Ajee’ Wilson	USA	1:55.61 (’17)
2.	Raevyn Rogers	USA	1:57.69 (’18)
3.	Lynsey Sharp	Great Britain	1:57.69 (’16)
4.	Hanna Green	USA	1:58.19 (’19)
5.	Natoya Goule	Jamaica	1:56.15 (’18)
6.	Winnie Nanyondo	Uganda	1:58.63 (’14)
7.	Olha Lyakhova	Ukraine	1:58.64 (’15)
8.	Rabab Arrafi	Morocco	1:57.47 (’18)
9.	Halimah Nakaayi	Uganda	1:58.39 (’18)
10.	Catriona Bissett	Australia	1:58.78 (’19)
Other American:
Ce’Aira Brown 1:58.01 (’18)

1500 METERS
•A 1500/5000 double is impossible, so both Hassan and Klosterhalfen could end up not in this event at all. If Hassan runs here, she will likely be doubling back from the 10,000, where she is also favored. Quite the range for the former Ethiopian, who claimed the mile WR earlier this summer… We know Houlihan can kick with the best of them, but she hasn’t raced since winning a 1500/5000 double at USATF (she is skipping the longer race here)… Kipyegon is the defending champ… Early-season co-favorite Muir had a torn calf this summer and has not raced since July.
1.	Sifan Hassan	Netherlands	3:55.30 (’19)
2.	Shelby Houlihan	USA	3:57.34 (’18)
3.	Faith Kipyegon	Kenya	3:56.41 (’16)
4.	Konstanze Klosterhalfen	Germany	3:58.92 (’17)
5.	Laura Muir	Great Britain	3:55.22 (’16)
6.	Gudaf Tsegay	Ethiopia	3:57.40 (’19)
7.	Jenny Simpson	USA	3:57.22 (’14)
8.	Rabab Arrafi	Morocco	3:58.84 (’19)
9.	Gabriela DeBues-Stafford	Canada	3:59.59 (’19)
10.	Winny Chebet	Kenya	3:59.16 (’17)
Other American:
Nikki Hiltz 4:03.55 (’19)

 

STEEPLECHASE
•Chepkoech has been on a roll the last couple of years, winning 7 of 8 races (and setting the amazing WR of 8:44.32) in ’18 and 7 of 8 so far this year. And the fellow Kenyan who beat her in Oslo in June didn’t even make the team, all of which adds up to overwhelming favorite… Jepkemoi, the ’15 gold medalist and ’17 bronze medalist, hasn’t won a race all year but broke 9:10 in each of her 4 low-altitude appearances… We wouldn’t expect a repeat of the Coburn-Frerichs 1–2 of 2 years ago, but then, we didn’t expect it then either… Unconfirmed reports have third American Quigley as questionable.
1.	Beatrice Chepkoech	Kenya	8:44.32 (’18)
2.	Hyvin Jepkemoi	Kenya	9:00.01 (’16)
3.	Emma Coburn	USA	9:02.58 (’17)
4.	Celliphine Chespol	Kenya	8:58.71 (’17)
5.	Courtney Frerichs	USA	9:00.85 (’18)
6.	Daisy Jepkemei	Kenya	9:06.66 (’19)
7.	Winfred Mutile Yavi	Bahrain	9:07.23 (’19)
8.	Colleen Quigley	USA	9:10.27 (’17)
9.	Peruth Chemutai	Uganda	9:07.94 (’18)
10.	Gesa-Felicitas Krause	Germany	9:07.51 (’19)
Other American:
Allie Ostrander 9:31.44 (’19)

5000 METERS
•As in the 1500, doubling problems confuse the picture here, since the 1500 and 5000 finals are on the same night. Hassan will run the 10,000 a week prior and while we were originally led to believe she wouldn’t go for the 5, she has apparently left the door open. What does she want to run in this weather: 3 times in the 1500 or twice in the 5000?… Gidey will also be coming back from the 10, so we’ll give the edge to a fresh Klosterhalfen (who could confuse the picture by choosing the 1500 instead). All of which could open the door for defending champ Obiri. Oh, wait! She’s potentially coming back from the 10 also… Confusing enough for you?
1.	Sifan Hassan	Netherlands	14:22.12 (’19)
2.	Konstanze Klosterhalfen	Germany	14:26.76 (’19)
3.	Letesenbet Gidey	Ethiopia	14:23.14 (’15)
4.	Hellen Obiri	Kenya	14:18.37 (’17)
5.	Lilian Rengeruk	Kenya	14:36.80 (’17)
6.	Hawi Feysa	Ethiopia	14:38.76 (’19)
7.	Sheila Chelangat	Kenya	14:54.66 (’17)
8.	Margaret Chelimo	Kenya	14:31.69 (’19)
9.	Taye Fantu	Ethiopia	14:45.59 (’19)
10.	Eilish McColgan	Great Britain	14:47.49 (’19)
The Americans:
Elinor Purrier 15:08.61 (’19)
Rachel Schneider 15:06.71 (’19)
Karissa Schweizer 15:01.63 (’19)

10,000 METERS
•Hassan has only run a single track 10,000 in her life and she didn’t break 31:00 (let alone 30:00) in that race, but such are her short-track credentials and overall skills that she rates as No. 1. This will be the start of her double, but will she follow it with the 1500 or 5000?… Gidey stamped herself as the top Ethiopian with her list-leading PR in Hengelo… The Kenyan pair of Tirop & Obiri each own a World XC gold… Reigning OG/WC champ Almaz Ayana, the WR holder, was a late withdrawal from the Ethiopian squad.
1.	Sifan Hassan	Netherlands	31:18.12 (’19)
2.	Letesenbet Gidey	Ethiopia	30:37.89 (’19)
3.	Agnes Tirop	Kenya	31:03.50 (’17)
4.	Hellen Obiri	Kenya	31:25.38 (’19)
5.	Sanbere Teferi	Ethiopia	30:40.59 (’16)
6.	Emily Sisson	USA	30:49.57 (’19)
7.	Netsanet Gudeta	Ethiopia	30:36.75 (’19)
8.	Rosemary Wanjiru	Kenya	31:11.79 (’19)
9.	Molly Huddle	USA	30:13.17 (’16)
10.	Minami Yamanouchi	Japan	31:16.48 (’19)
Other American:
Marielle Hall 31:37.45 (’16)

100 HURDLES
•Williams was the surprise winner back in ’15, but nobody will be surprised if she wins again this time. She has turned in the 4 fastest times of her career and climbed to No. 7 on the all-time list… WR holder Harrison doesn’t have a great history in this meet, finishing 4th last time out and false starting in her ’15 semi… Amusan has also reached her fastest time ever and slips in ahead of the American duo of 2-time World Indoor champ Ali and former AR holder McNeal… Reigning champ Sally Pearson of Australia retired over the summer with persistent Achilles problems.
1.	Danielle Williams	Jamaica	12.32 (’19)
2.	Keni Harrison	USA	12.20 (’16)
3.	Tobi Amusan	Nigeria	12.49 (’19)
4.	Nia Ali	USA	12.48 (’13)
5.	Brianna McNeal	USA	12.26 (’13)
6.	Janeek Brown	Jamaica	12.40 (’19)
7.	Megan Tapper	Jamaica	12.63 (’17)
8.	Elvira Herman	Belarus	12.64 (’18)
9.	Annimari Korte	Finland	12.72 (’19)
10.	Nadine Visser	Netherlands	12.71 (’18)

400 HURDLES
•Can we flip a coin? Good cases can be made for both Muhammad and McLaughlin. Muhammad has that big World Record credential of course, while McLaughlin hasn’t even PRed this year (yet?). McLaughlin is ahead 2–1 in their head-to-heads this year and has only lost to Muhammad, while Muhammad also has a loss to Shamier Little (who didn’t make the Doha team). In the final analysis, although Syd The Kid did make the Olympic team, she has never run in an OG or WC final, whereas Muhammad has the Oly gold and a pair of WC silvers… Defending champ Carter hasn’t shown that kind of form so far this year, but ’13 &’15 gold medalist Hejnová is looking more like her old self.
1.	Dalilah Muhammad	USA	52.20 (’19)
2.	Sydney McLaughlin	USA	52.75 (’18)
3.	Zuzana Hejnová	Czech Republic	52.83 (’13)
4.	Rushell Clayton	Jamaica	54.16 (’19)
5.	Léa Sprunger	Switzerland	54.29 (’17)
6.	Ashley Spencer	USA	53.11 (’17)
7.	Kori Carter	USA	52.95 (’17)
8.	Anna Ryzhykova	Ukraine	54.35 (’12)
9.	Janieve Russell	Jamaica	53.46 (’18)
10.	Sara Slott Petersen	Denmark	53.44 (’16)

MARATHON
•Former Kenyan Salpeter chopped almost 5:00 from her PR with her Prague win in May. Her good track credentials—including winning the Euro 10K title last year—give her the edge over yearly list leader Chepngetich, whose time came on the deceptively fast Dubai course… Kiplagat was the ’11 and ’13 winner (and ’17 silver medalist), but she’s on the cusp of turning 40… Defending champ Rose Chelimo of Bahrain hasn’t broken 2:30 this year.
1.	Lonah Chemtai Salpeter	Israel	2:19:46 (’19)
2.	Ruth Chepngetich	Kenya	2:17:08 (’19)
3.	Roza Dereje	Ethiopia	2:19:17 (’18)
4.	Ruti Aga	Ethiopia	2:18:34 (’18)
5.	Edna Kiplagat	Kenya	2:19:50 (’12)
6.	Shure Demise	Ethiopia	2:20:59 (’19)
7.	Visiline Jepkesho	Kenya	2:21:37 (’17)
8.	Helalia Johanes	Namibia	2:22:25 (’19)
9.	Mizuki Tanimoto	Japan	2:25:28 (’19)
10.	Sara Dossena	Italy	2:24:00 (’19)
The Americans:
Kelsey Bruce 2:31:53 (’19)
Carrie Dimoff 2:30:53 (’17)
Roberta Groner 2:29:09 (’19)

20K WALK
•WR holder Liu slipped to 3rd in the big La Coruña race, won by Morejón in World Junior Record time, but the Chinese vet’s big-race credentials—reigning Olympic gold medalist, WC golds in ’11 &’15—give her the edge. Particularly with the young Ecuadorian having only that single 20 under her belt… The Chinese could well sweep the medals, noting that Yang is the defending champ.
1.	Hong Liu	China	1:24:38 (’15)
2.	Glenda Estefanía Morejón	Ecuador	1:25:29 (’19)
3.	Jiayu Yang	China	1:25:34 (’19)
4.	Shenjie Qieyang	China	1:25:37 (’19)
5.	Mária Pérez	Spain	1:26:36 (’18)
6.	Anežka Drahotová	Czech Republic	1:27:03 (’18)
7.	Antonella Palmisano	Italy	1:26:36 (’17)
8.	Erica de Sena	Brazil	1:26:59 (’17)
9.	Kumiko Okada	Japan	1:27:41 (’19)
10.	Eleonora Giorgi	Italy	1:27:46 (’19)
The American:
Maria Michta-Coffey 1:30:49 (’14)

50K WALK
•With the 20K being contested just the day before, World Record holder Hong Liu isn’t entered in this one, choosing the Olympic distance instead. China will be well represented in her stead, with Nos. 2 & 3 on the all-time list, Li and Liang, favored to go 1–2 as the 50 makes its second appearance as a WC discipline… Defending champ Henriques is tabbed for 5th.
1.	Maocuo Li	China	4:03:51 (’19)
2.	Rui Liang	China	4:04:36 (’18)
3.	Eleonora Giorgi	Italy	4:04:50 (’19)
4.	Julia Takács	Spain	4:05:46 (’19)
5.	Inês Henriques	Portugal	4:09:21 (’18)
6.	Paola Pérez	Ecuador	4:12:56 (’18)
7.	Faying Ma	China	4:07:30 (’19)
8.	Valentyna Myronchuk	Ukraine	4:15:50 (’19)
9.	Mária Czaková	Slovakia	4:14:25 (’18)
10.	Nastassia Yatsevich	Belarus	4:16:39 (’19)
The American:
Katie Burnett 4:21:51 (’17)

4 x 100 RELAY
•Germany may seem a strange pick, lacking as it is in individual-event superstars, but the yearly world leaders bring something crucial to the mix: smooth passing… No hints so far as to will be Team USA, but the 4 entries in the 100 (Teahna Daniels, English Gardner, Morolake Akinson & Tori Bowie) are backed up by pool members Dezerea Bryant, Caitland Smith & Kiara Parker. And what about old standby Allyson Felix?… It would be foolish to overlook Jamaica, with its 1–2 punch of Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
1.	Germany	41.67 (’19)
2.	USA	42.05 (’18)
3.	Jamaica	42.29 (’19)
4.	Great Britain	41.88 (’18)
5.	Netherlands	42.15 (’18)
6.	China	42.50 (’19)
7.	Switzerland	42.29 (‘18)
8.	Brazil	43.04 (’19)
9.	France	42.93 (’19)
10.	Trinidad	43.50 (’18)

4 x 400 RELAY
•The U.S. vs. Jamaica battle figures to be tight, but with the U.S. having better depth. The U.S. has plenty of bodies to choose from, starting with the open 400 foursome of Shakima Wimbley, Kendall Ellis, Wadeline Jonathas & Phyllis Francis. The pool adds Courtney Okolo, Jessica Beard and old standby Allyson Felix. And let’s not forget the flat speed of hurdlers Dalilah Muhammad and Sydney McLaughlin.
1.	USA	3:24.04(A) (’19)
2.	Jamaica	3:24.00 (’18)
3.	Poland	3:24.81 (’19)
4.	Great Britain	3:26.48 (’18)
5.	Canada	3:27.01 (’19)
6.	Nigeria	3:25.29 (’18)
7.	India	3:28.72 (’18)
8.	France	3:25.91 (’18)
9.	Australia	3:27.43 (’18)
10.	Italy	3:27.32 (’19)

HIGH JUMP
•Sure, Lasitskene loses once in a while, but it tends to be a long time between whiles. The 2-time defending champion, for example, has won 20 of 22 so far in a very busy ’19. Last year was 25 of 26, and, well, you get the picture… Levchenko, who gave the Russian her closest competition in London 2 years ago, finished her pre-Doha season with a PR win… The battle for bronze looks like a 3-way among a collection of performers who have set 2-meter PRs this year… Cunningham hasn’t competed since USATF.
1.	Mariya Lasitskene	Russia	2.06 | 6-9 (’17)
2.	Yuliya Levchenko	Ukraine	2.02 | 6-7½ (’19)
3.	Vashti Cunningham	USA	2.00 | 6-6¾ (’19)
4.	Yaroslava Mahuchikh	Ukraine	2.00 | 6-6¾ (’19)
5.	Karyna Demidik	Belarus	2.00 | 6-6¾ (’19)
6.	Erika Kinsey	Sweden	1.97 | 6-5½ (’15)
7.	Iryna Herashchenko	Ukraine	1.99 | 6-6¼ (’19)
8.	Mirela Demireva	Bulgaria	2.00 | 6-6¾ (’18)
9.	Nicola McDermott	Australia	1.96 | 6-5 (’19)
10.	Ella Junnila	Finland	1.95 | 6-4¾ (’19)
Other Americans:
Ty Butts 1.92 | 6-3½ (’19)
Inika McPherson 1.96 | 6-5 (’17)

POLE VAULT
•Sidorova and defending champ Stefanídi have already met no fewer than 11 times this year. The Russian has a solid 7–3-1 edge, plus a PR, so she earns the top spot… Newman, with the 6 highest vaults of her career since June, edges Nageotte for the No. 3 spot… ’17 silver medalist Morris is downgraded because of her self-admitted technique problems of late. Should she rectify those in the free month before the WC she could be back challenging for the top spot… Silva was the ’15 winner and also won a bronze last time out.
1.	Anzhelika Sidorova	Russia	4.91 | 16-1¼ (’19)
2.	Katerína Stefanídi	Greece	4.91 | 16-1¼ (’17)
3.	Alysha Newman	Canada	4.87 | 15-11¾ (’19)
4.	Katie Nageotte	USA	4.91 | 16-1¼(A) (’18)
5.	Sandi Morris	USA	5.00 | 16-4¾ (’16)
6.	Yarisley Silva	Cuba	4.91 | 16-1¼ (’15)
7.	Robeilys Peinado	Venezuela	4.70 | 15-5 (’19)
8.	Jenn Suhr	USA	5.03 | 16-6 (’16)
9.	Holly Bradshaw	Great Britain	4.87 | 15-11¾ (’12)
10.	Angelica Bengtsson	Sweden	4.81 | 15-9¼ (’19)

LONG JUMP
•Reese has an unparalleled collection of big-meet LJ metal, her OG/WC/WIC haul totaling 10: 8 golds and 2 silvers. She looks like she’ll add to it in Doha, but of what color will it be? Mihambo, last year’s No. 1 World Ranker and this year’s list leader, looks poised to take over from the defending champion. They’ve met 4 times in ’19 and the German won them all. Convincingly… Reigning World Indoor champ Ivana Španović is out with an injury… The same-night staging of the long jump Q and the triple jump final make it unlikely Ibargüen would double, particularly suffering from plantar fasciitis.
1.	Malaika Mihambo	Germany	7.16 | 23-6 (’19)
2.	Brittney Reese	USA	7.31 | 23-11¾ (’16)
3.	Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk	Ukraine	6.93 | 22-9 (’16)
4	Ese Brume	Nigeria	7.05 | 23-1¾ (’19)
5.	Darya Klishina	Russia	7.05 | 23-1¾ (’11)
6.	Sha’Keela Saunders	USA	6.90 | 22-7¾ (’17)
7.	Shara Proctor	Great Britain	7.07 | 23-2½ (’15)
8.	Abigail Irozuru	Great Britain	6.86 | 22-6¼ (’19)
9.	Yelena Sokolova	Russia	7.07 | 23-2½ (’12)
10.	Caterine Ibargüen	Colombia	6.93 | 22-9 (’18)
Other Americans:
Tori Bowie 6.95 | 22-9¾ (’14)
Jasmine Todd 6.84 | 22-5¼ (’15)

TRIPLE JUMP
•The big question at this point seems to be not if Rojas will successfully defend her title, but if she can claim the World Record in so doing, now that she has ascended to No. 2 on the all-time list, only 3½ inches (9cm) off Inessa Kravets’s ancient mark from the ’95 Worlds… Ibarguën has been bothered by plantar fasciitis and hasn’t tripled since early July… Don’t count out Rickets, who PRed to beat Rojas for the Diamond League crown… Orji has a decent shot at becoming the first U.S. medalist ever here, but it might take an AR to do it.
1.	Yulimar Rojas	Venezuela	15.41 | 50-6¾ (’19)
2.	Caterine Ibargüen	Colombia	15.31 | 50-2¾ (’14)
3.	Shanieka Ricketts	Jamaica	14.77 | 48-5½ (’19)
4.	Liadagmis Povea	Cuba	14.77 | 48-5½ (’19)
5.	Keturah Orji	USA	14.72 | 48-3½ (’19)
6.	Kim Williams	Jamaica	14.64 | 48-½ (’18)
7.	Ana Peleteiro	Spain	14.73 | 48-4 (’19)
8.	Olha Saladukha	Ukraine	14.99 | 49-2¼ (’12)
9.	Tori Franklin	USA	14.84 | 48-8¼ (’18)
10.	Patricia Mamona	Portugal	14.65 | 48-¾ (’16)
No third American

SHOT
•A breakout year has found Ealey improving her PR by almost a meter and also beating reigning world champ Gong—in Shanghai, no less—in her first-ever DL meet. Gong subsequently bounced back with 4 straight wins to solidify the favorite’s role going in… ’15 gold medalist Schwanitz is recovering from knee problems.
1.	Lijiao Gong	China	20.43 | 67-½ (’16)
2.	Chase Ealey	USA	19.68 | 64-6¾ (’19)
3.	Christina Schwanitz	Germany	20.77 | 68-1¾ (’15)
4.	Brittany Crew	Canada	19.28 | 63-3¼ (’19)
5.	Danniel Thomas-Dodd	Jamaica	19.55 | 64-1¾ (’19)
6.	Maggie Ewen	USA	19.46 | 63-10¼ (’18)
7.	Anita Márton	Hungary	19.87 | 65-2¾ (’16)
8.	Fanny Roos	Sweden	19.06 | 62-6½ (’19)
9.	Aliona Dubitskaya	Belarus	19.21 | 63-¼ (’19)
10.	Paulina Guba	Poland	19.38 | 63-7 (’18)
Other American:
Michelle Carter 20.63 | 67-8¼ (’16)

DISCUS
•You wanna talk longtime associations? The Cuban pair have met no fewer than 114 (!) times, dating back to ’08. Caballero can claim a 60–53–1 edge total, but Pérez is up 9–5 this year and has a list-leading PR to bolster her claim to the top spot over the ’15 winner… It’s strange to see Perković, twice a gold medalist at both the OG and WC, in the No. 3 slot, but she seems to be fouling a lot this year and hasn’t crossed the 70m benchmark for the first time since ’13. She’s a combined 2–8 against the two Cubans.
1.	Yaimé Pérez	Cuba	69.39 | 227-8 (’19)
2.	Denia Caballero	Cuba	70.65 | 231-9 (’15)
3.	Sandra Perković	Croatia	71.41 | 234-3 (’17)
4.	Feng Bin	China	65.45 | 214-8 (’19)
5.	Kristin Pudenz	Germany	64.37 | 211-2 (’19)
6.	Valarie Allman	USA	67.15 | 220-3 (’19)
7.	Nadine Müller	Germany	68.89 | 226-0 (’12)
8.	Chen Yang	China	67.03 | 219-11 (’18)
9.	Claudine Vita	Germany	66.64 | 218-8 (’19)
10.	Shadae Lawrence	Jamaica	65.05 | 213-5 (’19)
Other Americans:
Kelsey Card 63.52 | 208-5 (’16)
Laulauga Tausaga-Collins 63.71 | 209-0 (’19)

HAMMER
•The first thing one notices here is the absence of 3-time winner Anita Włodarczyk, sidelined by summer knee surgery… The Americans are nonetheless on a bit of a roll here, but 2 podium places in an event in which they’ve never previously medaled? That would be historic… Wang beat Price twice early in the year, but her marks then tailed off while the American’s went on the rise… Price, Berry & Wang are Nos. 4-5-6 on the event’s all-time list.
1.	DeAnna Price	USA	78.24 | 256-8 (’19)
2.	Zheng Wang	China	77.68 | 254-10 (’14)
3.	Gwen Berry	USA	77.78 | 255-2 (’18)
4.	Brooke Andersen	USA	76.75 | 251-9 (’19)
5.	Alexandra Tavernier	France	74.84 | 245-6 (’19)
6.	Joanna Fiodorow	Poland	75.63 | 241-8 (’18)
7.	Na Luo	China	75.02 | 246-1 (’18)
8.	Zalina Petrivskaya	Moldova	74.70 | 245-1 (’19)
9.	Malwina Kopron	Poland	76.85 | 252-1 (’17)
10.	Hanna Malyshik	Belarus	76.26 | 250-2 (’18)

JAVELIN
•Having won silver in ’15 and bronze in ’17, Lu looks to complete a full set of medals. Last year’s No. 1 World Ranker comes in riding a 12-meet winning streak. Most of those were at home, but her PR claimed the yearly lead and she won the DL Final by more than 2m over Barber. The Aussie is on a roll of her own, having produced the 5 farthest meets of her life… As always, look for upsets in this inconsistent event… Winger could become the highest-placed American ever, supplanting Karin Smith’s 10th way back in ’83.
1.	Huihui Lu	China	67.98 | 223-0 (’19)
3.	Kelsey Barber	Australia	67.70 | 222-1 (’19)
3.	Tatsiana Khaladovich	Belarus	67.47 | 221-4 (’18)
4.	Sara Kolak	Croatia	68.43 | 224-6 (’17)
5.	Christin Hussong	Germany	67.90 | 222-9 (’18)
6.	Shiying Liu	China	67.12 | 220-2 (’18)
7.	Kara Winger	USA	66.67 | 219-0 (’10)
8.	Nikola Ogrodníková	Czech Republic	67.40 | 221-1 (’19)
9.	Barbora Špotáková	Czech Republic	72.28 | 237-2 (’08)
10.	Eda Tuğsuz	Turkey	67.21 | 220-6 (’17)
Other American:
Ariana Ince 63.54 | 208-5

HEPTATHLON
•The top two are solid, like the men. Multis maven Frank Zarnowski says, “Bronze should go to Bougard, who is one tough cookie.” Kriszán came into the year as a 6390 performer, but improved at both Götzis (6469) and Talence (6619) to firmly put herself in the 3rd-place conversation… Fourth American Kunz got in as the leader of the IAAF Multis Challenge.
1.	Nafi Thiam	Belgium	7013 (’13)
2.	Katarina Johnson-Thompson	Great Britain	6813 (’19)
3.	Erica Bougard	USA	6725 (’18)
4.	Xénia Krizsán	Hungary	6619 (’19)
5.	Verena Preiner	Austria	6591 (’19)
6.	Ivona Dadic	Austria	6552 (’18)
7.	Kendell Williams	USA	6610 (’19)
8.	Nadine Broersen	Netherlands	6539 (’14)
9.	Maria Huntington	Finland	6339 (’19)
10.	Géraldine Ruckstuhl	Switzerland	6391 (’18)
Other Americans:
Chari Hawkins 6230 (’19)
Annie Kunz 6153 (’19)

THANKS FROM the T&FN staff to those correspondents who aided us in crafting these prognostications: Bob Bowman, Jonathan Berenbom, Sean Hartnett, Richard Hymans, Dave Johnson, Nejat Kök, Kevin Saylors, Jesse Squire & Frank Zarnowski.