What to watch and Team GB medal hopes at World Athletics Championships this weekend
The 2023 World Athletics Championships reach their conclusion this weekend, but before the last few medals are handed out there is still time to catch some top track and field action.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland have medal hopes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Budapest, while there are other highlights worth making time to tune in for too.
Here is an at-a-glance rundown on what to watch at the World Athletics Championships this weekend, including Team GB medal hopes.
Friday
The 200m finals are the standout attraction, with British interest – and the possibility of sprint doubles – in both the men’s and women’s races.
In the women’s final (8:40pm) Sha’Carri Richardson will be aiming to follow up her stunning victory in the 100m with a second gold.
Having won bronze in Eugene last year, Dina Asher-Smith is Team GB’s most likely challenger but was not at her best when finishing eighth in the 100m.
In the men’s race (8:50pm), Zharnel Hughes will be hoping to add to his bronze from the 100m, Britain’s first medal in the event since Darren Campbell in 2003.
Noah Lyles, who won the 100m title, will start as favourite to win the 200m too and complete the sprint double.
Saturday
The men’s pole vault (6:25pm) has no British interest but it is a chance to watch a master quite literally at the top of his game in Armand Duplantis.
The US-born Swede currently holds every major indoor and outdoor title, as well as both world records, so the main appeal here is seeing whether he can top his mark of 6.21m.
Saturday’s action closes with the 4x100m relays. Team GB’s men took bronze at the last championships so will have claims for another medal when they go off at 8:40pm.
The women’s final (8:51pm) is looking like another shoot-out between the USA and Jamaica.
Sunday
The last day of the 2023 World Athletics Championships should feature one of Britain’s best medal prospects, Keely Hodgkinson, in the women’s 800m final.
Hodgkinson, 21, is the reigning European champion but was pipped to gold by American Athing Mu both last year in Eugene and at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
At the 2022 World Championships Mu pipped Hodgkinson by just 0.08 seconds, so expect a close battle. Team GB’s Jemma Reekie could also be in with a shout of a medal.
Bringing the curtain down on the action are the 4x400m finals, in which USA and Jamaica will again be the teams to beat.
Britain’s men, who could feature Matt Hudson-Smith, race at 8:37pm, with the women’s quartet, who won bronze last year, off at 8:50pm.
Live coverage of the World Athletics Championships is on the BBC in the UK.