This promises to be one of the most open of the men s events.

Middle distance fans will witness some of Kenya s best athletes in Melbourne later this month at the opening leg of the IAAF World Challenge series on 22 March.

US pair Ajee Wilson and Chanelle Price have enjoyed breakthroughs indoors this winter to occupy the top two positions on the 2014 world list with 2:00.43 and 2:00.48, respectively, after their one-two finish at the US Indoor Championships.

A re-run of last year s 2013 IAAF World Championships is a possibility, with four of the top five finishers from the Moscow final having been entered.

It has been three-and-a-half years since the last 15-metre leap in the women's triple jump and there have been no signs so far this year that the barrier will be broken any time soon.

USA s Francena McCorory and Russia s Kseniya Ryzhova are the joint favourites over two laps of the track.

Up until last month, Pedro Pablo Pichardo and Ernesto Reve had never before competed indoors. Now, the Cubans are among the gold medal favourites for the triple jump in Sopot.

Lalonde Gordon, the Olympic bronze medallist from Trinidad and Tobago, is by far the fastest man among the entrants having run 45.17 this winter.

This will be the first global championships in which world and Olympic long jump champion Brittney Reese hasn't taken part.

Ivory Coast s Murielle Ahoure heads the world list with a swift 7.03 and the 26-year-old boasts no less than five of the top 10 times this season.