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LetsRun.com's 2009 IAAF Berlin World Championships Preview Men's Decathlon - Roman ebrle Looks To Reclaim World Championship When: August 19 and 20 Decathlon world record holder Roman ebrle of the Czech Republic will look to extend his World Championships win streak to two as 2008 Olympic champion Bryan Clay of the USA will miss the meet due to injury. ebrle, the 2004 Olympic champion, will have his hands full with two excellent Cuban multi-eventers as well as Clay's younger compatriot Trey Hardee. Also returning are 2007 Osaka WC medalists Maurice Smith of Jamaica and Dmitriy Karpov of Kazakhstan. But the Cubans have dominated the top of the leader board in 2009. Leonel Suárez and Yordani Garcia are 1, 4 on the world list. Suárez is an Olympic medallist, winning bronze in 2008 behind Clay and Belarusian Andrei Krauchanka. So who is going to win? ebrle is almost 35 years old and is unlikely to defeat all of his younger rivals. Suárez is about to turn 22 and appears to be on his way up. His world-leading mark, however, came in Cuba, so he'll have to replicate a top performance on the world stage, not easy for a youngster. Krauchanka, Beijing runner-up, looks to be ready to assume the throne of best all-around athlete in the world in the absence of Bryan Clay. Aleksandr Pogorelov of Russia was 4th in Beijing, but only has a personal best around 8400, which might not get him a medal this year. German Michael Schrader is #2 on the world list and should contend for a medal. In the end, we think Krauchanka will step up to take the #1 spot, while Cuba's Suárez will grab second and Trey Hardee will sneak in for bronze. Jamaica's Maurice Smith Hopes To Medal Again LRC Predictions: Men's Decathlon Statistics By LRC Coaching Guru John Kellogg 8654 Leonel Suárez (CUB) Bronze medal in 2008 Olympic Games
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Runner's World &
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