Mo Farah still the man to beat as he eyes another golden double in Beijing

 
Favourite: Mo Farah can win two golds
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UK Athletics chiefs were meeting today to select the British team for next month’s World Championships in Beijing.

As they mull over their choices in the wake of this month’s British Championships and the Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium over the weekend, Standard Sport looks at the medal chances in the team…

Going for gold

Off the back of his last three races: victories over 3,000metres and 5,000m as well as fourth place in a 1500m just outside his European record, Mo Farah remains the middle-distance man to beat. He will be red-hot favourite to win the 10,000m but can he pull off his trademark double in the 5,000m?

Greg Rutherford needs a world title to complete his long jump set and is ranked fifth in the world with a best of 8.35m this season. With his history in championships, gold is in his sights.

A quad injury threatened to rule out heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, but she came through the Anniversary Games unscathed and, with four weeks of training left, ought to get back into peak shape.

A medal in mind

It’s arguably the most high-profile decision, whether coach Toni Minichiello gives Jessica Ennis-Hill the thumbs-up to compete in the heptathlon. She had said she would go only if in medal contention — and three season’s bests in London at the weekend would suggest she is.

Ennis-Hill was edged out in the 100m hurdles by Tiffany Porter who, although fourth herself, has a propensity to sneak into the medals at the major championships.

Laura Muir has been one of the revelations of the season over 1500m and has an outside chance, while Shara Proctor’s British record of 6.98m ranks her third in the world in the long jump this year.

Missing out… but making a mark

A raft of British performances have stood out this season, from Dina Asher-Smith’s sub-11sec 100m on Saturday to Chijindu Ujah’s second time under 10sec for the 100m the previous day.

Zharnel Hughes is tipped as the next Usain Bolt after his Anniversary Games 200m, while Nick Miller broke the 31-year-old British hammer record recently.

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