Pole Vault Wonderkid Mondo Duplantis (Sweden/Texas) is one of the sure things predicted by TFN, photo by Giancarlo Colomobo/PhotoRun.net
This is a fun article. The Bible of the Sport, aka Track & Field News, predicts the Ten Sure gold medals for Tokyo 2020. Fun predictions, and the perfect acticle to read post run, walk, with a beverage of your choice.
Assuming that the whole affair–because of this year’s brutal Japanese heat wave–isn’t picked up and moved until later in the year, the next Olympic track will begin 2 years from today, July 31, 2020.
Even though 2 years is an eternity in the world of track & field predictions, we have put our collective heads together–or is it on the chopping block?–and purely for your entertainment purposes, here are our best guesses at can’t-miss individual podium toppers, in preferential order:
1. Mondo Duplantis (Sweden)–Pole Vault
Why he’ll win gold. The Louisiana high school product hasn’t even had his first day as a collegian yet, and his amazing improvement curve certainly has to reach a plateau somewhere. We just don’t think that at age 18 he is anywhere near his peak. Yet he’s already regularly holding his own against the world’s best and has become a consistent 19-footer. He’s got great familial support and coaching and has been exposed to international competition for years. When the bar reaches higher heights and vaulting becomes a chess match he already plays the passing game like a grand master.
Why he won’t win. In 4 words: Renaud Lavillenie and Sam Kendricks. It’ll be tough enough to beat the WR holder or the top American on any given day; to beat them both on the same day will be a nasty chore for a mere 20-year-old.
To read the entire article from the Bible of the Sport, please go to: https://trackandfieldnews.com/tokyo-2020-from-2-years-out-our-10-surest-gold-medal-things/
