Earlier this year, at the Asian Athletics Championships, the test event ahead of the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba won the men’s 400m hurdles gold in a time of 47.51 seconds at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Samba had begun 2018 with a time of 47.9 seconds and ended the season with the then second fastest time in the event — 46.98 — in Paris.
At the Asian meet in April, Samba said, he wanted to repeat that feat this year. “I am doing what I did last year. I started the season with 47.9, and ended with 46.98. This time, I have started with 47.51,” the 23-year-old said at the press conference, and with a smile flashing across his face added, “I hope to finish with 46.5.”
He followed it up with yet another blistering time at the Shanghai Diamond League event — 47.27 seconds — well on course for his stated goal.
The Qatari runner had fired the warning shot, and there was no one who would risk not taking him seriously.
However, injuries have restricted his outings since then.
But defending champion Karsten Warholm and US sensation Rai Benjamin have risen to the occasion in the run up to the Worlds, and the trio are promising to throw up a contest for the ages.
Warholm, who is aiming to join an exclusive club, containing Ed Moses, Felix Sanchez and Kerron Clement, as back-to-back world champions in this event, blasted to a European record of 46.92 at the Diamond League final in Zurich to climb to second on the world all-time list behind world record holder Kevin Young (46.78).
Finishing just 0.06 seconds adrift of the dynamic Norwegian in Zurich — to himself elevate himself to joint-third on the world all-time list — is Benjamin.
Benjamin made a huge breakthrough when running 47.02 to take the NCAA title in 2018 and he has continued to impress this season. Besides his stunning 46.98 time in Zurich, he also claimed the US title and Diamond League wins in Stanford and Rome.
There is an ocean of time between the lead three athletes in the world and the rest but few would discount Yasmani Copello from a podium spot. The Turkish athlete scooped world silver in 2017, 2016 Olympic bronze and snared a European silver medal last year.
Another with a strong pedigree is Commonwealth champion and two-time Diamond League title holder Kyron McMaster. The British Virgin Islands athlete has a season’s best of 48.33 and can also contend.
The US challenge is garnished by the presence of T J Holmes, the 2017 World Championships fifth-place finisher, who finished second behind Benjamin at the US Championships. Amere Lattin, the 2016 world U20 110m hurdles silver medallist, completes the US men’s 400m hurdles team, boasting a season’s best of 48.66.
Alison Dos Santos of Brazil had enjoyed a breakout season, winning the Pan American and World University Games titles. The World Championships represents a big step up in class for the teenager but the 48.45 performer will be hunting a place in the final. His compatriot Marcio Teles set a season’s best of 48.60 to take the Brazilian title and could also feature.
Other names competing include France’s European Team Championships runner-up Ludvy Vaillant, who made a big breakthrough this year to run 48.30, Poland’s 2015 World Championships finalist Patryk Dobek, and 2016 Olympic finalist Rasmus Magi of Estonia.
(With inputs from IAAF)