5 Talking Points As World Athletics Championships Kick Off in Budapest

Track and field fanatics will turn their attention at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary, when the 2023 World Athletics Championships take centre stage.

This year's event comes hot on the heels of the rescheduled 2022 edition that was staged in the United States of America.

The event promises to live up to the expectations as A-list athletes head to the Hungarian capital.

The World Athletics Championships will run from August 19 to 27, with the athletes competing in 49 different categories.

Sports Brief looks at what fans should keep an eye on ahead of the kick-off of the 19th event in history.

1. Stacked sprint fields

The sprint races will attract a host of top names with no definitive and outright favourite at the moment. In the men's race, Fred Kerley will put his title on the line against his compatriot and 200m champion Noah Lyles, Commonwealth champion Ferdinand Omanyala, 2019 world champion Christian Coleman, and others.

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In the women's race, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will face stiff competition from her compatriot, Shericka Jackson, and a rejuvenated Sha'Carri Richardson, among others. The 200m world champion, Jackson is the fastest this year, Sports Brief also reported.

2. Sifan Hassan

The Dutch star has confirmed that she will once again go for the triple at a global championship. She has enlisted for the 1,500m, the 5,000m, and the 10,000m.

As crazy as that sounds, Hassan did it before when she won gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m and finished third in the 1,500m at the Tokyo Olympics.

This time around, she will be up against the immovable force that is 1,500m and 5,000m world record holder, Faith Kipyegon, who is targeting a double. Hassan won the London Marathon in April in an astonishing fashion and the question would be: can she repeat the heroics in Budapest?

3. Doping violations

The Athletics Integrity Unit has ramped up its fight against doping, with many athletes - acclaimed or not - falling on the sword.

The biggest casualty was set to be 100m hurdles world record holder, Tobi Amusan, but she was handed a reprieve on August 17 when her whereabouts violation suspension was lifted, as per AIU's official Twitter account.

However, this seems not to be the case for U20 star, Issam Asinga, who took the world by storm this year with dominant races in the 100m. The Suriname star's suspension is yet to be lifted.

Kenya, a global athletics powerhouse, remains on a tight leash, with many of its athletes currently serving suspensions.

4. Can Noah Lyles walk the talk?

Noah Lyles has been clear about his intentions from the word go - break Usain Bolt's record. The Jamaican legend's 19.19 mark in the 200m set in 2009 remains unscathed.

Weeks after breaking Bolt's record for most sub-20 races, Budapest will offer Lyles another chance to go one step further and shatter the world record.

His top-end speed is unquestionable and if he can match it with his start, he might be in business.

5. Soufiane El Bakkali vs Lamecha Girma

Now, listen to this. Soufiane El Bakkali has not lost a single 3,000m steeplechase race since August 2021. In that period, he has won the Olympic gold medal (2021) in Tokyo and the world title in Oregon (2022).

However, the Moroccan is not the world record holder. That honour is for Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma, who broke the long-standing record of Saif Saeed Shaheen set in 2004 when he obliterated the field on June 9 this year at the Paris Diamond League.

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The two square off on August 22. Girma finished behind El Bakkali on the two occasions he won the Olympic and world titles. Can he get one over the Moroccan, or will El Bakkali reign supreme again?

Other points to consider

It should also not be lost on us the conspicuous withdrawal of 400m hurdles champion, Sydney McLaughlin, with 800m champion, Athing Mu, still doubtful as well. The 'reluctance' of top athletes to avail themselves at major events has not gone down well with a number of fans on social media.

The relay races will also form an exciting spectacle. Multiple Olympic champion, Elaine Thompson-Herah, will most likely feature for Jamaica, given that she did not qualify for the 100m and 200m.

The USA team of Lyles, Kerley, and co. will be out to ensure that an Andre De Grasse-powered Canada team doesn't usurp them again like they did last year.

Of the 44 athletes who won individual medals last year, 38 will be in Budapest looking to defend their titles - it's go time, folks!

AIU clears Amusan for championships

Sports Brief also reported on Amusan being cleared to compete at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest after she was cleared of doping violations.

The 26-year-old world record holder was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit(AIU) amid claims the Nigerian had skipped three drug tests.