Athletics / Bob Adams / 31 August 2011 /

An Ethiopian with incredible heart (and lungs) and a Russian high-jumper are Bob Adams' two picks for Thursday's action.

Any athlete who can overcome adversity and turn it into a triumph deserves careful scrutiny no matter how young they are and such is the case of the 20-year-old Ethiopian runner Kalkidan Gezahegne ([23.0]). When competing in the semi-finals of the 1500m at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Doha last year, Gezahegne collided with the Russian Yevgeniya Zolotova and crashed onto the track with her chances of qualifying for the final seemingly crashing with her. But the brave youngster picked herself up and sprinted after the disappearing pack, caught and passed all of them and won the semi in the fastest time of the day. Gezahegne then went on to take the final and become the youngest ever IAAF champion in any discipline. A truly remarkable achievement and given the ease at which she qualified for today's 1500m final, I am at a loss to understand why Gezahegne is trading at such generous odds.

True, this is a top class field, but that won't concern the cool headed Gezahegne, who gave the reigning world champion Gelete Burka a sound beating in Doha. Another pointer in support of Gezahegne is that she has already experienced the pressure-cooker type atmosphere of a World Championship final, finishing 9th in Berlin at the age of 18. She shouldn't be overawed by either the opposition or the occasion.

Bahrain's Maryam Yusuf Jamal [4.6] tops the IAAF rankings this year with Gezahegne shadowing her and the veteran Spaniard Natalia Rodriguez [3.5], who looked impressive in the semis, not far off the top. In a final that also contains the talented American Morgan Uceny [11.5], Ibtissam Lakhoud of Morocco [23.0] and Turkey's Tugba Karakaya [4.2], they are not going to be hanging about. Overcoming adversity is going to be the key to the final and Gezahegne has already proven that she is more than adept at that.

The men's high jump final is going to be fascinating with twelve of the finalists having leapt over 2.32 this year. America's Jesse Williams [3.3] heads the pack with a leap of 2.37, but he'll be under severe pressure in Daegu, and talented though the 27-year-old is, the fact he's never won a major World or Olympic championship final concerns me.

Williams faces the current European Champion Aleksandr Shustov [8.4], World Indoor Champion Ivan Ukhov [4.6] and the burgeoning talent of the World Junior Champion Muta Essa Barshim [8.0] and I am convinced that he will once again crack under pressure.

The Qatari Barshim has progressed by 21 centimetres over the past two years and his form this summer has literally taken him to new heights. He will be a major threat and could claim a minor medal in his first major championships. Ukhov has a PB of 2.36 outdoors which is particularly impressive given his reluctance to use the specialist built up high jumpers spikes. With sultry conditions in Daegu forecast, Ukhov could find himself at a disadvantage on what could be a slippery run up and the Russian could have trouble following up his indoor triumph. His compatriot Shustov, on the other hand, is only a centimetre behind Williams on this year's rankings and has shown rapid improvement this summer. He goes into this high jump final on a real upward curve as his form this summer has been exceptional. Shustov looks the man to beat and can go higher and higher to grab the gold.

Recommended Bets:

Back Kalkidan Gezahegne [18.5] to win women's 1500m
Back Aleksandr Shustov [8.4] to win men's high jump
Lay Jesse Williams [3.3] in men's high jump

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>

:

:

:

?

: