Doha 2015: Preview of Monday’s action

The men’s 5,000m T54 could be the highlight of Monday’s (26 October) action, the fifth day of the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar, which will see 21 world titles decided.

Up until Saturday's 1,500m, Switzerland’s world record holder Marcel Hug was the favourite to retain his world title. However, after a disappointing fifth place finish in that race, the question now is can the Swiss Silver Bullet bounce back? If he doesn’t then Great Britain’s Paralympic champion David Weir and the Thai duo of Rawat Tana, the new 1,500m world champion, and Prawat Wahoram will be waiting in the wings ready to pounce.

Tana is one of a host of athletes hoping to land their second world titles on Thursday.

Belgium’s Marieke Vervoort will be aiming to complete the sprint double in the women’s 100m T52, Tunisia’s Raoua Tlili goes in the shot put F41, days after topping the podium in the discus, and another Tunisian, Walid Ktila, will be confident of adding the 800m T34 to his 400m gold.

The long jump pit at the Qatar Sports Club has seen some outstanding performances so far this week, not least from the German duo of Vanessa Low and Markus Rehm who both set world records. Another world record could fall in the sand on Monday with Denmark’s Daniel Jorgensen the man in form.

Hosts Qatar could well win their first ever world title through Abdulrahman Adulqadir in the men’s shot put F34. Adulquadir knows the Qatar Sports Club well having set his world record of 10.68m there at September’s test event.

The match-up between British team captain Paul Blake and Russia’s Andrey Zhirnov in the 800m T36 is one of the night’s intriguing encounters, as is the 1,500m T13 clash between Morocco’s El Amin Chentouf, Brazil’s Yeltsin Jacques and Algeria’s Abdellatif Baka.

Following the success of teammate Omara Durand in securing two world titles, Cuba’s Yunidis Castillo will start as favourite to retain her world title when she starts in the women’s 400m T47. South Africa’s Anrune Liebenberg will be her biggest challenger. Durand is also in action, competing in the 100m T12 heats, and few would bet against her setting another world record.

The USA’s Ray Martin, a five-time gold medal winner at Lyon 2013, will make his first appearance of Doha 2015 in the evening’s penultimate event. The 21-year-old world record holder will go for gold in the 1,500m T52.

After the disappointment of three fouls in the long jump on Saturday to relinquish his 2013 world title, South Africa’s Hilton Langenhoven will be hoping for better fortunes in the men’s 400m T12.

In the field veteran British thrower Stephen Miller will be up against Algeria’s Lahouari Bahlaz and world record holder Vladislaw Frolov of Russia in the men’s club throw F32.

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