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.

A winner at the Russian Winter meeting with 8.30m and in Birmingham with 8.14m, 2013 world champion Aleksandr Menkov heads to Sopot as the man to beat.

In the absence of the injured James Dasaolu and Jimmy Vicaut, the emerging young US sprinter Marvin Bracy heads to Sopot bearing the mantle of favourite.

The host nation s best bet for gold possibly lies with Anna Rogowska.

With just three days to go to the start of the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in the Polish city of Sopot, which will be held between 7-9 March, the IAAF website editorial team have put the spotlight on some of the highlights expected this weeken...

An ill-timed injury after his world indoor record of 6.16m in Donetsk means that France s Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie is not able to defend his title won in Istanbul.

Three-time world champion Gabriela Szabo has been appointed as the minister of youth and sport in the proposed structure of Romania s new government.