Ten great reasons to wake up to Daegu

ATHLETICS:From the Blade Runner to a probable Bolt from the blue, it's well worth tuning in for the World Championships, writes IAN O'RIORDAN

OKAY SO not all of us will be there – but there are still 10 Great Reasons for tuning into the World Championships in Daegu.

10: The 25 Lap Epic – It’s used to be that picking the winner of the men’s 10,000 metres was easy: he’d be from Ethiopia, and his name would be either Haile Gebrselassie, or Kenenisa Bekele. Between them they’ve won eight of the last nine World Championship titles – the exception being Kenya’s Charles Kamathi, who won in 2001.

Believe it or not, Bekele hasn’t raced since winning his fourth successive gold medal in Berlin two years ago, and yet has turned up in Daegu this week intent on winning a record fifth title. He gets an automatic entry as defending champion, and while there are obviously major questions over his form, we shouldn’t forget Bekele has never actually lost a 10,000 metres on the track.

His main challenger tomorrow is set to be Britain’s Mo Farah, who is actually attempting a 5,000-10,000 metres double, is unbeaten this year – and looking to become the first European winner of this event since Alberto Cova of Italy, in 1983.

9: The Poetry In Motion – No one is actually naïve enough to believe sprinting is entirely drug free. Although Allyson Felix certainly offers us hope. Her natural, lean and incredibly athletic physique sets her apart from most other muscle-bound sprinters. It’s no harm either that she’s a devout Christian, the daughter of a minister.

But just watching her glide over the track with her extraordinary blend of power and grace restores all faith in the true beauty of sprinting. Don’t let the glamour deceive you: Felix is an amazingly tough competitor and, not just content to chase a fourth successive 200 metres title, will first contest the 400 metres – which makes for an arduous five-day, six-round assignment.

8: The Blade Runner – No legs? No problem. The jury may still be out on the exact advantages – if any – offered by his prosthetic running blades, but no one can argue with the attitude of Oscar Pistorius, who will be the first amputee athlete to compete at the World Championships.

And he’s not here to make up the numbers. Although the IAAF originally imposed a ban on prosthetic running blades three years ago, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the decision – and Pistorius has been improving ever since. In Italy last month he ran 45.07 seconds, to qualify for both Daegu and next year’s London Olympics, and has the potential to make the final – and perhaps a fairly sensational upset.

7: The Pride Of Gneeveguilla – Some of you might be surprised to hear that Vivian Cheruiyot is an honorary life member of the Gneeveguilla athletic club in Castleisland, or that when I met her in Dublin, last summer, she got locked into Santry Demesne after losing track of time on one of her long, evening runs.

Anyway, right now Vivian Cheruiyot is the best female distance runner on the planet. Having won the World Cross Country earlier this year, the 27-year-old Kenyan will almost certainly defend her 5,000 metres title next Friday, but before that, has set herself the challenge of winning the 10,000 metres later today. But she’ll have to beat Meseret Defar of Ethiopia, also undefeated on the track this summer, as well as 2009 silver medallist Meselech Melkamu of Ethiopia, who would surely have won in 2009 had she not celebrated too early.

6: The Dancing Queen – She’s arguably the biggest celebrity in Croatia, stalked by paparazzi and often dogged by rumours of sex tapes and scandalous photos, etc but Blanka Vlasic has definitely put the appeal back into the high jump – and in more ways that one.

Only Usain Bolt can rival her showboating, which usually includes various dance moves before or after she clears the bar. An Olympic silver medal remains the only blip in a dazzling career to date, and she remains just 1cm away from Stefka Kostadinova’s 24-year-old world record. Her jump-off with Ariane Friedrich of Germany was one of the highlights of Berlin two years ago, and this time perhaps Vlasic could be inspired to finally claim that world record – and pocket a $100,000 bonus.

5: The 1:41.01 Man – Two years ago in Berlin, David Rudisha was run out of the qualifying places in his semi-final of the 800 metres. His coach in Kenya, the Irish-born Brother Colm O’Connell, wasn’t unduly worried. Indeed the 22-year-old Kenyan hasn’t lost a race since Berlin, bringing a 29-race win streak to Daegu, plus the mantle of world record holder. He twice broke that mark last summer, lowering it to 1:41.01, and now holds four of the 10 fastest ever 800 metres.

There are some questions about Rudisha’s tactics, given he invariably runs from the front, but if someone wants to beat him in Daegu – and two-time World indoor champion Abubaker Kaki from Sudan reckons he can – then they’ll probably need to break his world record in the process.

4: The Great British Hopes – The Brits reckon this could be the best World Championships ever, with a potential five gold medals, or two more than their previous best ever showing, in Stuttgart, in 1993.

Of course none of them will be harder won than in the heptathlon, where Jessica Ennis looks to defend the title won in Berlin two years ago. Plenty of things can go wrong over the seven events, which makes it all the more exciting, and yet for Ennis – who cruelly missed out on the Beijing Olympics after injuring her ankle just weeks before – this is really just a dress rehearsal for London 2012.

3: The Men’s High Hurdles – Normally we wouldn’t be getting overly excited about the men’s 110 metres hurdles, but Monday’s final has the potential to be one of THE races of the championships – and perhaps deliver a world record in the process.

For the first time at a major championship the big three come together; world record holder and 2008 Olympic champion Dayron Robles from Cuba, former world record holder and 2004 Olympic champion Liu Xiang from China, and 2011’s fastest man, David Oliver of the USA. They also happen to be the three fastest men in the history of the event – with Robles’ 12.87 seconds, Liu’s 12.88, and Oliver’s 12.89.

2: Some More Gender Debate – There is still no right or wrong answer as to why Caster Semenya was subjected to such extreme scrutiny following her breakthrough victory in the 800 metres two years ago – except to say it’s wasn’t entirely unfair. Any athlete who comes out of nowhere and runs 1:55.45 at age 18 will find some questions coming in their direction, although for Semenya, the gender debate was horribly mishandled.

Two years on it is clear all that has taken some emotional and physical toll: she’s only ranked 13th in the world this year, and is reportedly overweight and undertrained. For whatever reason Semenya is not the athlete she was in 2009, and that may well generate some further gender debate.

1: The Human Lightening Bolt – So at around 12.40 tomorrow afternoon the 53,000-capacity Daegu Stadium will get to see Usain Bolt win his seventh major championship medal – although this time, unless he really produces something special, there won’t be a world record.

Plus the 100 metres is severely watered down: no Tyson Gay (injured), no Steve Mullings or Mike Rodgers (thanks to positive testing) and now no Asafa Powell, whose 9.78 seconds was the fastest of anyone this season, but he’s withdrawn with a groin strain.

Bolt has only managed a relatively conservative 9.88 this season, 0.30 slower than the world record he set in Berlin two years ago, but should still have it all his own way – before casually moving on to win the 200 metres next Saturday. That’s not saying it won’t all be irresistible viewing.