London 2017: Day 5 Preview

Twenty-five medals will be decided on Tuesday (18 July), the fifth day of competition at the World Para Athletics Championships London 2017.

One gold medal up for grabs is the men’s long jump T42, an event which hit the headlines numerous times in 2016. The world record was broken a remarkable five times during the season with three Para athletes making their mark - Japan’s Atsushi Yamamoto, Denmark’s Daniel Wagner and Germany’s Heinrich Popow.

It was Popow who won Paralympic gold ahead of reigning world champion Yamamoto with Wagner clinching bronze; with Popow ruled out injured this year the duel will be between Wagner and Yamamoto. The question is, how far can they go?

Staying out in the field, the men’s discus F52 features all three medallists from the Rio Games – Latvia’s Aigars Apinis, Poland’s Robert Jachimowicz and Croatia’s Velimir Sandor. But it’s Brazilian Andre Rocha who they will all have to watch out for – he tops the rankings after breaking the world record earlier this year.

China’s Liwan Yang has already won javelin F54 in London; the 39-year-old Paralympic champion will be hoping to add the shot put F54 title on Tuesday – with the discus competition still to come on Friday (21 July).

The day’s track action includes a number of sprint finals. Cuiqing Liu goes for gold in the women’s 100m T11 – she won a hat-trick of titles at Doha 2015 but will have to watch out for teammate Guohua Zhou this time after she won the 200m title on Monday.

The USA’s Deja Young starts as favourite in the 100m T47 – double Paralympic champion at Rio 2016, the 21-year-old has already won the 200m here in London.

In the men’s sprints, watch out for South African Charl du Toit in the 200m T37. Paralympic champion over 100m and 400m last year, the 24-year-old cruised through the semi-finals 24 hours earlier. Egypt’s Paralympic silver medallist Mostafa Mohamed could pose a threat.

Ireland’s Jason Smyth is chasing his seventh world title, and is unbeaten in major competitions since he first stepped out at the 2006 World Championships. Smyth, the fastest Paralympian on the planet, won the 100m T13 title on Sunday (16 July) and it’s hard to see him not complete the sprint double at London 2017.

There is an impressive line-up in the men’s 200m T38 – China’s Jianwen Hu is the defending champion; South African Dyan Buis tops the world rankings; Brazil’s Edson Pinheiro won 100m silver two years ago and Colombia’s Dixon Hooker Velasquez won the 400m T38 title at Doha 2015.

The heats and final of the men’s 200m T54 take place on day five and if past history is anything to go by, there could be another terrific contest between Finland’s 100m T54 champion Leo-Pekka Tahti and Dutchman Kenny van Weeghel, three-time winner of the 200m T54 title.

Five 400m finals take place – including the men’s 400m T11, which is another race loaded with talent. Brazil’s defending champion and world record holder Daniel Silva, French former European champion Timothee Adolphe and Spain’s Paralympic champion Gerard Descarrega will battle it out over one lap to be crowned world champion.