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100 meters
Maurice Greene, United States: defending champion and world record-holder (9.79 seconds set in June.) Six times under 10.00 this season.
Bruny Surin, Canada: '95 World Championships silver medalist; has run 9.92 this year.
Tim Harden, United States: 400 Olympic relay gold medalist; has a best of 9.92 this season.
Frankie Fredericks, Namibia: four-time Olympic silver medalist at 100 and 200; 9.94 best this year.
Obadele Thompson, Barbados; hasn't medaled in Olympics or worlds; has run 9.96.
200 meters
Fredericks: 1993 200 world champion and three-time world silver medalist; has run 19.87 this season, .01 second off Ato Boldon's season best.
Greene: ran 19.86 two years ago, has season best of 19.92.
400 meters
Michael Johnson, United States: three-time defending world champion and Olympic champion; battling hamstring injury; world best this year of 43.92; world record-holder at 200 but skipping that event.
Antonio Pettigrew, United States: '91 world champion; second-fastest time in world this season at 44.21.
Jerome Young, United States: fifth at '97 worlds; consistent this season with times of 44.24, 44.33 44.34 and 44.36.
800 meters
Wilson Kipketer, Denmark: two-time defending champion and world record-holder (1:41.11); fastest time in world this season of 1:42.57.
Japheth Kimutai, Kenya: world junior record-holder; ended Kipketer's three-year unbeaten stretch last August; No. 3 time in world of 1:42.98.
Hezekiel Sepeng, South Africa: '96 Olympic silver medalist; runner-up to Kimutai at last year's Commonwealth Games; third-fastest this season at 1:43.16.
1,500 meters
Hicham El Guerrouj, Morocco: defending champion and world record-holder (3:26.00); has '99 world best of 3:28.57; set world record for mile (3:43.13) last month.
Noah Ngeny, Kenya: second-fastest in history at 1,000 meters and one mile (3:43.40); 20-year-old has pressed El Guerrouj all season; No. 2 world best of 3:28.84.
Nourredine Morceli, Algeria: '96 Olympic champion, three-time world champion, and former world record-holder; season best of 3:30.91.
5,000 meters
Salah Hissou, Morocco: former world record-holder at 10,000 meters; Olympic and world 5,000 bronze medalist; second-fastest time this season (12:52.53).
Daniel Komen, Kenya: defending 5,000 world champion; third-fastest this season (12:55.16).
10,000 meters
Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopia: Olympic and three-time defending world champion, and world record-holder (26:22.75); hasn't run a competitive 10,000 this season;
Paul Tergat, Kenya; Olympic and world silver medalist behind Gebrselassie, and former world record-holder; season best of 27:10.08.
3,000 steeplechase
Bernard Barmasai, Kenya: '97 world bronze medalist and world record-holder (7:55.72); has top four times in world this season, leading with 7:58.98.
Christopher Koskei, Kenya: second at '95 worlds; second-fastest in world this season behind Barmasai (8:05.43); involved in controversial finish at meet in Zurich Wednesday when he apparently slowed to let Barmasai win and stay in the running for $1 million Golden League bonus.
110-meter hurdles
Mark Crear, United States; has world's only sub-13.00 clocking this season (12.98); '96 Olympic silver medalist; won U.S. championship, beating Olympic and two-time world champion Allen Johnson.
Allen Johnson, United States: Olympic and two-time defending world champion; season best of 13.01.
Colin Jackson, Britain: 1993 world champion and current world record-holder (12.91); silver medalist '97 worlds; running consistently with five clockings between 13.11 and 13.14 this season.
400 hurdles
Llewellyn Herbert, South Africa: top time in the world (47.83) this season.
Chris Rawlinson, Britain: ran surprising 48:14 -- third-best in the world this year -- Wednesday at Zurich to put himself into the championship picture.
Angelo Taylor, United States: Has run 48.15; lost only twice last season, both times to American Bryan Bronson.
Stephane Diagana, France: defending champion; best time of 48.94 this season.
High jump
Steve Smith, Britain: Olympic bronze medalist; returns from a neck injury that prematurely ended his '98 season; world-best jump this season of 7 feet, 8 3/4 inches.
Martin Buss, Germany: best jump in the world behind Smith at 7-81/2.
Charles Austin, United States: Olympic champion; won U.S. trials and has season best of 7-7 1/4.
Long jump
Ivan Pedroso, Cuba: two-time defending world champion; has season best jump of 28 2 3/4.
Yago Lamela, Spain: second to Pedroso in '99 world indoors; No. 2 jump this season of 28-1.
James Beckford, Jamaica: '96 Olympic silver medalist and former world silver medalist; third-best jumper in the world this season with 27-10 3/4.
Triple jump
Jonathan Edwards, Britain: former world champion, '96 Olympic silver medalist and world record-holder (60-0 1/4; top two jumps in world this season (57-5 3/4 and 57-2 1/4).
Denis Kapustin, Russia: fourth in '97 worlds; best jump this season of 57-1.
Yoelbis Quesada, Cuba: '96 Olympic bronze medalist; Pan Am gold medalist this year; has also jumped 57-1 this season.
Pole vault
Maksim Tarasov, Russia: '92 Olympic champion and twice world silver medalist; leads world list this season at 19-10 1/4.
Jeff Hartwig, United States: second at '99 world indoors; has vaults of 19-9 and 19-8 1/4 this season.
Tim Lobinger, Germany: fourth at '97 worlds; season best of 19-8 1/4.
Shot put
John Godina, United States: Olympic silver medalist and two-time defending world champion; has world best this season of 72-3); four of top 12 efforts in world this season.
C.J. Hunter, United States: '97 world bronze medalist; season best of 70-3; four of world's top throws in '99.
Discus throw
Lars Riedel, Germany: '96 Olympic champion and four-time defending world champion; has world best of 227-0 and world No. 3 of 226-4 this year.
Godina: fifth at '97 worlds; No. 2 throw in world this season of 226-6.
Juergen Schult, Germany: former Olympic and world champion and world record-holder; the 39-year-old has season best of 222-10.
Javelin throw
Aki Parviainen, Finland: World best throw this season of 305-4.
Sergey Makarov, Australia: fifth at the last worlds and sixth at '96 Olympics; No. 2 in world this season at 295-0.
Kostas Gatsioudis, Greece: '97 world bronze medalist; season best of 293-10.
Jan Zelezny, Czech Republic: Two-time Olympic champion, two-time world champion and world-record-holder; season best of 292-2.
Hammer
Karsten Kobs, Germany: has world's best throw this season of 271-7.
Tibor Gecsek, Hungary: twice world bronze medalist; has five of top seven throws in the world this season, including 270-10.
Decathlon Tomas Dvorak, Czech Republic: set world record this year with 8,994 points. Roman Sebrle, Czech Republic: has second-best total in world this season with 8,527 points.
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