Prediction Department — 2019 World Champs Women’s Medalists (03-19-19)

TWO ISSUES AGO we said, “Picking World Championships podium people in January—when a crystal ball sometimes looks more like a snow globe—is always risky business, but it’s ultra-risky when you do it for a year in which the WC is set to roll around on its latest dates ever, September 27–October 06.” After a relatively low-key indoor season, fearless forecasters Richard Hymans (men) and Jonathan Berenbom (women) have updated their picks. Note that we didn’t include either athletes under provisional doping bans or Russians who have yet to be granted Neutral status by the IAAF. If the IAAF’s proposed testosterone rules finally get the green light, that too could change things.

Overall, the choices add up to a solid 29-medal haul (15 men, 14 women) for Team USA, 10 of them gold (5 men, 5 women). Last time around, London ’17, the U.S. total was 24 medals, split 13/17, with 10 golds (3 men, 7 women).

WOMEN’S MEDAL PICKS
GOLD SILVER BRONZE
100 Elaine Thompson (Jamaica) Marie-Josée Ta Lou (Côte d’Ivoire) Dina Asher-Smith (Great Britain)
200 Dina Asher-Smith (Great Britain) Shaunae Miller-Uibo (Bahamas) Dafne Schippers (Netherlands)
400 Shaunae Miller-Uibo (Bahamas) Salwa Eid Naser (Bahrain) Phyllis Francis (USA)
800 Caster Semenya (South Africa) Francine Niyonsaba (Burundi) Ajee’ Wilson (USA)
1500 Faith Kipyegon (Kenya) Laura Muir (Great Britain) Shelby Houlihan (USA)
Steeple Beatrice Chepkoech (Kenya) Hyvin Jepkemoi (Kenya) Celliphine Chespol (Kenya)
5000 Hellen Obiri (Kenya) Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia)
10,000 Almaz Ayana (Ethiopia) Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) Senbere Teferi (Ethiopia)
100 Hurdles Brianna McNeal (USA) Keni Harrison (USA) Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Puerto Rico)
400 Hurdles Sydney McLaughlin (USA) Dalilah Muhammad (USA) Shamier Little (USA)
Marathon Mary Keitany (Kenya) Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya) Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia)
20K Walk Shenjie Qieyang (China) Antonella Palmisano (Italy) Mária Pérez (Spain)
50K Walk Hong Liu (China) Maocuo Li (China) Claire Tallent (Australia)
4 x 100 United States Jamaica Great Britain
4 x 400 United States Jamaica Poland
High Jump Mariya Lasitskene (Russia) Yuliya Levchenko (Ukraine) Airinė Palšytė (Lithuania)
Pole Vault Anzhelika Sidorova (Russia) Sandi Morris (USA) Katerína Stefanídi (Greece)
Long Jump Brittney Reese (USA) Ivana Španović (Serbia) Malaika Mihambo (Germany)
Triple Jump Caterine Ibargüen (Colombia) Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela) Ana Peleteiro (Spain)
Shot Lijiao Gong (China) Christina Schwanitz (Germany) Raven Saunders (USA)
Discus Sandra Perković (Croatia) Yaimé Pérez (Cuba) Dani Stevens (Australia)
Hammer Anita Włodarczyk (Poland) DeAnna Price (USA) Joanna Fiodorow (Poland)
Javelin Huihui Lu (China) Barbora Špotáková (Czech Republic) Christin Hussong (Germany)
Heptathlon Nafi Thiam (Belgium) Katarina Johnson-Thompson (Great Britain) Carolin Schäfer (Germany)