Doha 2015: Preview of the penultimate day of competition

Martina Caironi lines up in the final of the women’s 100m T42 at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships on Friday 30 October having eased up over the line in world record time in the previous day’s heats in Doha, Qatar.

The Italian set a new world record of 15.01 in the heats at the city’s Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium – and even then she eased up over the line. Whilst Caironi clearly is in form this year and goes into the race as defending champion, she will have to watch out for Germany’s Vanessa Low, who beat Caironi to long jump gold on Thursday 22 October.

Poland’s Barbara Niewiedzial has also looked in terrific form so far this championships and she is on track for a third world title in today’s 400m T20 final, having already won the 800m and 1,500m.

Chile’s Cristian Valenzuela will be hoping to secure his second title in Doha after winning the 5,000m T11 four days ago, this time in the men’s 1,500m. But he will have to watch out for the likes of Brazil’s Odair Santos, the man who beat him to gold in Lyon two years ago. Watch out too for Turkey’s Semih Deniz who is ranked third in the world this year.

Another man out to secure double gold in Doha is Ireland’s Michael McKillop. The defending champion and world record holder will be the man to beat in the men’s 1,500m T37 having already secured the 800m title in Doha.

In the women’s 1,500m T13, Tunisia’s Somaya Bousaid may have clocked the fastest time so far this season - 4:26.88 – but Elena Pautova should not be dismissed either. The Russian leads the T12 standings this year and was the 1,500m T12 champion two years ago in Lyon, France.

Out in the field, the men’s high jump T44 should once again provide plenty of excitement as Poland’s Maciej Lepiato and Great Britain’s Jonathan Broom-Edwards go head to head once more.

Two years ago it was Lepiato who came out on top, with a then world record leap of 2.13m. The pair rekindled their rivalry in Swansea, Great Britain at last summer’s European Championships where a nail-biting final saw both athletes clear 2.15m before the Pole clinched gold with a 2.17m clearance. How high can they go this time?

The men’s discus F57 has a field packed with talent, including the world record holder, Egypt’s Metawa Abouelkhir, the world ranked number two Thiago Paulino Santos, the gold and silver medallists from Lyon 2013 – Russia’s Alexey Ashapatov and Azerbaijan’s Samir Nabiyev – as well as Poland’s shot put world champion Janusz Rokicki. An enthralling competition is surely on the cards.