World Athletics Championships

It's hard to top what happened in Berlin last night - how can you top a freak like Usain Bolt who can be so cheesy and relaxed moments before the race and then just blow everyone away?

It's women's 100m night tonight. Unfortunately, there's no hope of the women setting many world records any time soon as most of their records have been set by blatant drug cheats - the eastern bloc regime in the 80s and early 90s, or Flo Jo in the early 80s. The only woman to get anywhere near FloJo's times has been supposed freak athlete Marion Jones... and then it turned out she was on the juice as well. FloJo might never have tested positive, but neither did most of the East Germans - and when someone dies in their sleep of a heart attack at 38, and retires the day after out-of-competition drug testing was brought in... well, you make up your own mind. The only women's records which have gone in recent years have been in new events (steeplechase, pole vault), where the African distance runners have got involved (5000m) or the technology has changed (javelin).

Anyhow, there are three hot favourites in the women's finals tonight - Kerron Stewart (100m), Elena Isinbayeva (pole vault) and Gulnara Galkina (3000m steeplechase). I'm taking them all on and similarly with Kriztian Pars in the men's hammer throw final.

Best value bet of the night is Zarudneva in the steeplechase. Unfortunately very few bookies are offering each-way or w/o favourite markets at all.

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