It's last chance weekend for those looking to qualify for Worlds in Budapest...

The countdown begins to August 2nd and the release of the final rankings on the Road to Budapest and the world championships that begin seventeen days later on the 19th.

In the days to come, a number of athletes with ties to the state of Washington will know whether or not they will stand on the starting line at the world championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest or watch the meet on television or online.

This weekend is the final weekend to pick up world ranking points or get the qualifying mark needed to go to Budapest.

A host of national championships around the world are being contested this weekend involving athletes with Washington ties including those of Ireland, Portugal, and Canada.

According to the competition list published by World Athletics, Finland, Canada, Poland, Trinidad & Tobago, Italy, Ukraine, Netherlands, Lithuania, Sri Lanka, Belarus, Czech Republic, Ireland, Switzerland, Serbia, Estonia, Slovakia, Latvia, and Portugal are all staging national championships this weekend (the second national championship weekend window designated by World Athletics; the first window was July 8-9 when the USA & Great Britain staged theirs), plus the South American Continental champs.

As a follow up to the post written on the 19th on who's in, not quite in and needs some help, here's the scenario for those competing this weekend, and how many points they'll need:

SOPHIE O'SULLIVAN (Washington/Ireland)

O'Sullivan of the Huskies is currently ranked number 54 of 56 in the Road to Budapest standings in the women's 1500 (eliminating any athletes past the 3 per country entry limit, or four for the country that has a wild card spot) with a 5-race average of 1152 points in her event, and is the number 3 runner in Ireland going into this weekend's national championships in Dublin.

In analyzing her five race score (go to the Road to Budapest page->>women's 1500->>click her name to see a pop-up of her 5 scoring races), I believe she will need a combination of time and place that adds up to 1150 points to clinch her place at the world championships, assuming no one else besides the two Irish women who have the world championship standard of 4:03.50--Ciara Mageean and Sarah Healy hits it at the national championship.

All the national championship meets around the world are considered by World Athletics as Category B meets, so bonus points are 100-80-70-60-55-50-45-40 (8 places) in addition to time points like the decathlon, heptathlon & pentathlon, which are on a table that you can download here.

To give some perspective, a time of 4:18.74 is worth 1060 points; 4:17.42=1070; 4:16.10=1080; 4:14.79=1090; 4:13.48=1100 points, and so on.

MARTA PEN FREITAS (Brooks Beasts/Portugal)

In keeping with the theme of the women's 1500, Pen Freitas of the Beasts currently ranks number 42 out of 56, and is one of only two Portuguese athletes in the world rankings quota entering this weekend's national championships in Braga, Portugal.

Pen Freitas' five-race average score is at exactly 1200 points, so if she can score over 1160 points, she'll be on the line in Budapest for sure (a win in a time of 4:18.74, or a second place finish in 4:16.10 equals 1160 points).

KIERAN LUMB (Washington alum/Canada)

Going into the Canadian championships in Langley, BC (a three-hour drive from Seattle if you're adventurous!), recent Washington grad Kieran Lumb is ranked number 52 in the Road to Budapest standings in the men's 1500, and the third Canadian, with a world ranking score of 1199 points.

Two Canadians: Charles Philibert-Thiboutot and Will Paulson have the world championships standard of 3;34.20 in their pocket. 

For Lumb to clinch, the easiest way is to get the standard and finish in the top three.

Assuming no one besides the two who already have the standard runs under it, Lumb's best shot is to score at least 1200 points in the finals on Sunday (a winning time of 3:40.52 or faster, second place in 3:39.03 or faster; 3:38.29 or faster in third place, etc).

Currently, a five race average of 1192 points is the cutoff mark in the men's 1500.

CARLEY THOMAS (Washington/Australia)

For Thomas to compete in her second career world championships (she ran at the 2019 world championships to start her freshman season), there's no two ways about it: run the standard of 1:59.80 in the 800 meters.

Currently, Thomas is ranked 91st in the Road to Budapest standings in the women's 800 (56 to compete at world champs), and is the number 6 Australian with a five-race average score of 1153 (counting Wednesday night's race in Tooting) points.

Of the six, only two: Catriona Bisset and Abbey Caldwell have the standard, while Ellie Sanford is in the world rankings quota in 51st with a five-race average of 1201 points. Caldwell is reportedly planning to skip the 800 and run the 1500 instead.

Thomas came oh-so-close to the standard when she ran a Washington school record 1:59.95 to win in Lignano, Italy on July 14th.

Wednesday night in Tooting, just outside of London, Thomas finished fourth in the British Milers Club meet, running 2:01.60 under rainy skies, as Alexandra Bell won in 1:59.43 (click here to see results).  In the same meet, former Husky Sam Tanner won the men's 1500 in a meet record 3:35.15.

Thomas is racing Sunday at the Meeting International Schifflange in Schifflange, Luxembourg.

You can watch Thomas' race here:

Washington grad student Ed Trippas of Australia, who was on their world championship team in Eugene last year, as well as their Olympic team two years ago, is reportedly taking a shot at qualifying this weekend. We will post where he plans to compete when we find out.

WHO'S NOT COMPETING THIS WEEKEND...

Four athletes hoping that their current Road to Budapest rankings will hold up through the weekend are Isaiah Harris of the Brooks Beasts in the men's 800, Walla Walla native Kenneth Rooks in the steeplechase, Washington's Joe Waskom in the men's 1500, and incoming Husky freshman Hana Moll from Olympia's Capital High in the women's pole vault. 

Of the four, Harris and Rooks are the safest.  Harris, who ran last week at the Under Armour Sunset Tour in Los Angeles, is number 28 in the 800 with 1268 points (56 to compete at worlds), while Rooks is number 18 in the steeple (36 to compete at worlds) with 1235 points.

Heading into the weekend, Waskom ranks number 49 with a five race average of 1202 points (56 compete at worlds), and Moll, the national high school record holder in the event, ranks 28th (36 compete at worlds) with 1154 points.

In the men's 1500, a five race average of 1192 points is the current cutoff mark, while 1133 stands as the cutoff mark in the women's pole vault going into the weekend.

In the event Waskom get knocked out of the top 56 in the men's 1500, Washington volunteer coach Sam Prakel, who was fourth at the USA championships, will get the third spot on Team USATF, with Henry Wynne of the Brooks Beasts next in line. Both are currently ahead of Waskom in the Road to Budapest standings in the 1500m, but the finish order at nationals takes precedence over rankings.

Prakel is scheduled to run in the same meet as Thomas on Sunday in Schifflange, Luxembourg.

Stay tuned either late Tuesday evening on the West Coast or Wednesday morning when World Athletics releases the final edition of the Road to Budapest!

NOTE:  All photos by Paul Merca. World Athletics contributed to this report. 

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