British mixed occasions athlete Harry Kendall seems on the decathletes and heptathletes more than likely to shine on the Video games
With the European Championships concluded and a few massive performances banked, we now have a greater concept of the place we stand with the mixed occasions rankings and who has one of the best likelihood for a medal come the Olympic Video games in Paris.
On behalf of Neuff Athletic, I shall be inspecting the athletes’ possibilities in each the heptathlon and the decathlon and come ahead with my predictions for the highest three in each on the Video games.
Breaking down the decathlon
I could also be biased, however I strongly imagine the decathlon is the very best high quality and most enjoyable occasion at this yr’s Video games.
Doubtlessly, as much as 16 individuals by my rely may rating over 8500 factors, a mammoth rating which may get you near the medals at nearly each main championships.
As my coach typically likes to remind me, decathlon is 10 occasions put collectively, and whomever could also be main earlier than the ultimate occasion, may even end outdoors of the medals come to the top of the 1500m.
It’s troublesome to select a favorite for the Olympic title, however I’ll begin with the present world chief within the decathlon. The mighty German, Leo Neugebauer.
Though his breakout season might effectively have been final yr, this season Neugebauer has kicked on to attain a private greatest 8961 factors within the USA. He positioned fifth in Budapest after a few missteps on day two, that means he shall be determined to make amends this time round.
Leo Neugebauer (Getty)
Neugebauer is spectacularly robust throughout the board, significantly along with his huge shot and discus throws, the latter of which he holds the world decathlon greatest with over 57m. His largest weak point, nevertheless, happens on the very finish of the decathlon, within the javelin and the 1500m.
Most decathletes seem to labour across the 1500m on account of their sizeable frames, significantly as compared with skilled middle-distance runners, however the NCAA champion does are likely to drop extra factors than most on this self-discipline.
When you will have athletes comparable to his fellow German Niklas Kaul able to performances like a 78m javelin and a 4:15 1500m, (in comparison with Neugebauer’s 58.99 and 4:42) Neugebauer will want a sizeable lead earlier than these two occasions to make sure of his gold medal.
The Canadians have been a pretty dominant power in multi-events for one of the best a part of the last decade and none have led the cost higher than Damian Warner and Pierce Lepage.
Damian Warner (Bjorn Paree)
Warner is the reigning Olympic champion, whereas Lepage is the reigning world champion. Collectively, they had been hoping to proceed this dominance in 2024 though Lepage has sadly withdrawn from the Video games on account of harm.
Warner simply retains getting higher with the extra expertise he features, working the quickest occasions over the 100m and the 110m hurdles persistently within the decathlon, in addition to being a world-class lengthy jumper.
His throws and pole vault might not be fairly as enormous as athletes like Neugebauer or Kaul, however the wealth of expertise at main championships and the superb kind he has proven this yr will make him a fundamental contender come Paris.
Switching our consideration to Europe, we’ve a pair of harmful younger Norwegians, determined to make a big effect on the largest stage.
Markus Rooth and Sander Skotheim have been buying and selling the Norwegian document between them not too long ago with each exceeding 8600 factors and accompanying that with many particular person private bests besides.
They’re remarkably comparable throughout many decathlon occasions. Nonetheless, Skotheim boasts an unimaginable 2.20m excessive soar and 5.35m pole vault, whereas Rooth is superior to his fellow countryman in all of the throwing disciplines.
To anybody within the multi-events world, it could not come as a shock if one or each of those athletes had been to depart Paris with an Olympic medal.
Lastly, we’ll transfer over to the Baltics and canopy a few Estonians who’re additionally on the up and within the hunt for medals.
Johannes Erm (Getty)
Johannes Erm is the Estonian chief this yr and the European champion from Rome earlier this yr. His private greatest rating of 8764 is solely world-class. Erm has no noticeable weaknesses in his decathlon and excels on the observe over the 400m specifically.
His compatriot Karel Tilga is round 80 factors behind on his private greatest rating, however may rapidly upset the apple cart ought to any of the stronger favourites slip up.
Tilga had considerably of a breakthrough in 2023 and regardless of having sparsely competed up to now this yr, has proven good kind in his restricted competitors time. He would be the most harmful come the latter phases of the competitors and a 72m javelin and 4-minute 20s 1500m is to not be sniffed at.
PREDICTION
Gold: Damian Warner
Silver: Leo Neugebauer
Bronze: Karel Tilga
The place we stand with the heptathlon
The heptathlon is an ever-changing panorama and might be one of many hardest disciplines to foretell, as a result of excessive charge of dropouts and the volatility of the occasion.
After surviving slightly peril in qualifying for the Video games, Nafi Thiam has put down an enormous marker in Rome on the European Championships, profitable the championships with a rating of 6848.
The Belgian confirmed she was effectively and actually again to her greatest, recording an infinite rating (her third greatest), regardless of it being her first heptathlon since 2022. So long as her physique stays in a single piece, she now turns into the overwhelming favorite for the Paris Video games.
In Rome, she displayed that her strengths have strengthened and her weaknesses have began fading away, notably a very good private greatest within the 800m with 2:11. It’s troublesome to see anybody overcoming this fabulous competitor. Nonetheless, there are just a few on the market who might fancy their probabilities of inflicting an enormous upset.
European heptathlon medallists (Getty)
Katarina Johnson-Thompson would be the athlete in pole place to take over, ought to the two-time Olympic champion slip up at any second.
Johnson-Thompson had a tumultuous time in Rome, dropping out of the heptathlon earlier than the 200m. It might be secure to imagine the European Championships was getting used for competitors apply, with all eyes from her and her group on Olympic gold in Paris, a title that has up to now eluded the Briton.
Budapest 2023 offered considerably of a resurgence for the two-time world champion, exhibiting a fierce competitor some had come to suppose had gone. KJT must be close to excellent to wrestle the gold away from Thiam, and actually capitalise on her strongest occasions.
At her greatest, she is an analogous excessive jumper to Thiam, nevertheless, Johnson-Thompson has struggled to search out the shape which helped her leap to a better of 1.98m in Rio 2016, and with this being an occasion Thiam is persistently world-class at, it have to be mentioned that something beneath a prime tier soar ought to price her massive factors.
A delightful improvement for followers of the British celebrity has been the advance in her throwing occasions (historically her weakest) within the final couple of years. These are occasions wherein the Belgian additionally excels, but when Johnson-Thompson can shut the hole within the throws and minimise the harm, she’ll have an incredible shot at pushing the reigning champ all the way in which.
Anna Corridor (Getty)
There are, after all, different contenders for the gold and different medals in Paris, and to not be neglected, regardless of having an injury-troubled winter, the mercurial American star Anna Corridor.
Corridor was hampered by harm within the early a part of the season, recovering from knee surgical procedure to repair an issue attained final season. The American finally discovered her kind on the proper time on the US Trials, scoring in extra of 6600 factors to safe her spot in Paris.
One would in the end assume that Corridor will proceed to enhance up till the Video games, slowly piecing again collectively the technical parts she might have misplaced briefly as a result of surgical procedure.
Her largest weapon comes on the finish of the heptathlon, within the 800m, the place nobody can realistically match her over this distance. Many consultants are predicting her to dip underneath the two-minute barrier, which in itself is world-class 800m working and would have certified her for the Video games within the particular person occasion.
While Johnson-Thompson is a proficient 800m runner, Thiam is just a few seconds behind, regardless of her current private greatest, so if it’s all to play for come the final occasion, it may very well be the American who comes out on prime.
Different contenders for the crown and the medals embody world indoor champion Noor Vidts from Belgium, a remarkably constant performer who shall be able to swoop in, ought to any of her opponents slip up.
Annik Kalin shall be hoping to deliver a medal again to Switzerland and is helped by a world-class lengthy soar of 6.84m which ought to take a number of factors out of the remainder of the sphere.
Anouk Vetter (Bjorn Paree)
Anouk Vetter, from the Netherlands, has a PB of effectively over 6800 factors, making her a robust medal contender. If she will be able to make use of her monstrous throwing occasions (59m within the javelin and 16m+ within the shot put) in addition to placing collectively a strong sequence in the remainder of the occasions, she may very well be in with a shout of not solely a medal however the title itself.
Lastly, one of many extra heart-warming tales to comply with is that of the Polish athlete, Adrianna Sulek-Schubert.
Having had her first baby earlier this yr, she has produced a powerful comeback to make this yr’s Olympics.
Further work might must be executed if she’s eyeing up a podium placement, but she remains to be a fierce competitor with probably the greatest heptathlon scores within the area. If I had been a betting man, I’d not rely out the world indoor silver medallist for an Olympic medal.
PREDICTION
Gold: Nafi Thiam
Silver: Anna Corridor
Bronze: Anouk Vetter
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