Prediction Department — 2019 World Championships Medalists

The only man favored to win WC gold for the third time in a row is Christian Taylor in the TJ. (KIRBY LEE/IMAGE OF SPORT)

IN A NORMAL YEAR one can do a pretty good job of making World Champs medal predictions by the time August rolls around (particularly when the meet was in July!), but this is no ordinary year. Even as we close down the August edition, there are still some 6 weeks to go before things get underway in Doha, and that’s just too far out for comfort.

Nonetheless, with the USATF meet—and most other major nation’s nationals—out of the way, it’s time to dive into murky waters for the third time this year, fearless forecasters Richard Hymans (men) and Jonathan Berenbom (women) have updated their picks (the September issue will have last-minute 10-deep choices in every event). Things are looking rosy for Team USA at this point, but it’s not uncommon for the American selection meet to raise expectations.

Note that we have not tried to handicap the mixed 4×4, and won’t do so until we see how nations are going to parcel out their quartermile talent. We will go out on not much of a limb, however, and predict that the U.S. will win that new event. Combine it with 15 U.S. men’s medals (7 golds) and 15 women’s (5 golds) and you get a hefty projected total of 31 (13 golds). Last time around, London ’17, the U.S. total was 24 medals split 13/17, with 10 golds (3 men, 7 women).

MEN’S MEDAL PICKS
GOLD SILVER BRONZE
100 Christian Coleman (USA) Justin Gatlin (USA) Akani Simbine (South Africa)
200 Noah Lyles (USA) Christian Coleman (USA) Andre de Grasse (Canada)
400 Michael Norman (USA) Fred Kerley (USA) Steven Gardiner (Bahamas)
800 Nijel Amos (Botswana) Ferguson Cheruiyot (Kenya) Marcin Lewandowski (Poland)
1500 Timothy Cheruiyot (Kenya) Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway) Samuel Tefera (Ethiopia)
Steeple Soufiane El Bakkali (Morocco) Benjamin Kigen (Kenya) Hillary Bor (USA)
5000 Hagos Gebrhiwet (Ethiopia) Selemon Barega (Ethiopia) Yomif Kejelcha (Ethiopia)
10,000 Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda) Hagos Gebrhiwet (Ethiopia) Rhonex Kipruto (Kenya)
110 Hurdles Orlando Ortega (Spain) Sergey Shubenkov (Russia) Grant Holloway (USA)
400 Hurdles Abderrahmane Samba (Qatar) Rai Benjamin (USA) Karsten Warholm (Norway)
Marathon Mosinet Geremew (Ethiopia) Getaneh Tamire (Ethiopia) Marius Kipserem (Kenya)
20K Walk Eiki Takahashi (Japan) Eider Arévalo (Colombia) Daisuke Matsunaga (Japan)
50K Walk Yohann Diniz (France) Matej Tóth (Slovakia) Hiroki Arai (Japan)
4 x 100 United States Great Britain Jamaica
4 x 400 United States Trinidad Bahamas
High Jump Ilya Ivanyuk (Russia) Majed Al Dein Ghazal (Syria) Bogdan Bondarenko (Ukraine)
Pole Vault Sam Kendricks (USA) Mondo Duplantis (Sweden) Piotr Lisek (Poland)
Long Jump Juan Miguel Echevarría (Cuba) Luvo Manyonga (South Africa) Tajay Gayle (Jamaica)
Triple Jump Christian Taylor (USA) Pedro Pablo Pichardo (Portugal) Will Claye (USA)
Shot Ryan Crouser (USA) Tom Walsh (New Zealand) Darlan Romani (Brazil)
Discus Daniel Ståhl (Sweden) Fedrick Dacres (Jamaica) Andrius Gudžius (Lithuania)
Hammer Paweł Fajdek (Poland) Wojciech Nowicki (Poland) Bence Halász (Hungary)
Javelin Magnus Kirt (Estonia) Andreas Hofmann (Germany) Thomas Röhler (Germany)
Decathlon Kevin Mayer (France) Damian Warner (Canada) Niklas Kaul (Germany)
WOMEN’S MEDAL PICKS
GOLD SILVER BRONZE
100 Meters Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) Elaine Thompson (Jamaica) Dina Asher-Smith (Great Britain)
200 Meters Elaine Thompson (Jamaica) Dina Asher-Smith (Great Britain) Blessing Okagbare (Nigeria)
400 Meters Shaunae Miller-Uibo (Bahamas) Salwa Eid Naser (Bahrain) Amina Seyni (Niger)
800 Meters Ajee’ Wilson (USA) Nelly Jepkosgei (Kenya) Habitam Alemu (Ethiopia)
1500 Meters Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia) Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) Laura Muir (Great Britain)
Steeple Beatrice Chepkoech (Kenya) Norah Tanui (Kenya) Emma Coburn (USA)
5000 Meters Hellen Obiri (Kenya) Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) Agnes Tirop (Kenya)
10,000 Meters Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) Letesenbet Gidey (Ethiopia) Netsanet Gudeta (Ethiopia)
100 Hurdles Keni Harrison (USA) Danielle Williams (Jamaica) Nia Ali (USA)
400 Hurdles Dalilah Muhammad (USA) Sydney McLaughlin (USA) Zuzana Hejnová (Czech Republic)
Marathon Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) Ruti Aga (Ethiopia) Shure Demise (Ethiopia)
20K Walk Glenda Estefanía Morejón (Ecuador) Jiayu Yang (China) Shenjie Qieyang (China)
50K Walk Hong Liu (China) Eleonora Giorgi (Italy) Maocuo Li (China)
4 x 100 Jamaica United States Great Britain
4 x 400 United States Jamaica Poland
High Jump Mariya Lasitskene (Russia) Yuliya Levchenko (Ukraine) Vashti Cunningham (USA)
Pole Vault Sandi Morris (USA) Anzhelika Sidorova (Ukraine) Katerína Stefanídi (Greece))
Long Jump Malaika Mihambo (Germany) Brittney Reese (USA) Ivana Španović (Serbia)
Triple Jump Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela) Caterine Ibargüen (Colombia) Liadagmis Povea (Cuba)
Shot Lijiao Gong (China) Chase Ealey (USA) Danniel Thomas-Dodd (Jamaica)
Discus Yaimé Pérez (Cuba) Denia Caballero (Cuba) Sandra Perković (Croatia)
Hammer Zheng Wang (China) DeAnna Price (USA) Gwen Berry (USA)
Javelin Huihui Lu (China) Christin Hussong (Germany) Kelsey Barber (Australia)
Heptathlon Nafi Thiam (Belgium) Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Great Britain) Erica Bougard (USA)