Five Points to Consider on Day 1 of Budapest 2023

Just prior to collapsing this morning, I posted these five points to consider!

1. The Heptathlon is now the Anna Hall show. The heptathlon is seven challenging events over two days. This year’s finest score is from Anna Hall, the US champion, WC Eugene bronze medalist, and best scorer of the year with 6,988.

   

   Watch Anna and see how she does in hurdles and high jump; if she is good there, she could be on a big one; I am predicting 7080 points. Katerina Johnson-Thompson, the biggest vet in this competition, seems to be quite fit and is in the battle for the silver. I also see Taliyah Brooks as looking at a medal in this Budapest heptathlon. Nafi Thiam, who withdrew due to Achilles injuries, could be back in Paris in 2024, and that will be fascinating! Jackie Joyner Kersee calls Anna Hall her “It” girl, as in, “She has what it takes.”

2. The steeple should be a battle between Girma and El Bakkali. Girma has focused on the speed, while the Moroccan has focused on the technique and a wicked finish.

   

   Top America Rooks has to improve by about 8 seconds to be in the bronze hunt. Can he do it? Bronze is wide open.

3. In the shot put, it has gotten a bit tougher for Ryan Crouser. Face it, Ryan is a beastmaster. Ryan is suffering from two blood clots in his legs and is on anticoagulants. He is tough, and so is his field, Joe Kovacs, Tom Walsh, and Darian San Romani. This may be Ryan’s toughest competition ever. The Men’s shot put is one of the highest standards in any of our track events and probably our cleanest event in track & field. Big changes in this event since the 1990s.

   

4. Men’s 1,500m, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, it is his to lose. Yared Nuguse and Josh Kerr will not make it easy for Jakob, but he has prepared well and considers the worst in all of his buildups. Jake Wightman opened his eyes in 2022, and the Norwegian will do all to not let that happen again. That Josh Kerr has absolutely other ideas, well, that is what a Scotsman does.
5. The Men’s 100m will be completely full of surprises. Fred Kerley was obviously annoyed with Noah Lyles talking about his 9.65 and 19.11 goals. Both Fred and Noah were annoyed about the Olympic champion and Italian who has run one mediocre race in 2023, Marcell Jacobs, but that is the hype an Olympic champion gets. We will see in the 100-meter heats. The Men’s 100m is wide open, and defending champion Fred Kerley wants none of that. If Marcell Jacobs gets to the semi-finals, that will be something to behold.

   

6. Gabby Thomas could be quite busy in Budapest. Gabby told us that she is hoping to be in the final of the Mixed 4x400m on day 1, and then run the 200 meters (her focus), and perhaps finals, in the 4x100m and 4x400m. Gabby Thomas likes challenges, and she has the absolute wheels to run the 4x400m and is needed, with the absence of Athing Mu and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the 4x400m.

   

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