British team not expected to star

The World Athletics Championships begin on Saturday in Helsinki - where it all began 22 years ago - and if you listen to most people, Britain have the weakest squad they have ever taken to a major championship. Injuries to key figures and several retirements of established stars have definitely weakened the squad, but there is a chance for others to step up and take the baton as British athletics takes the first steps to building towards the 2012 Olympics.

The OIympics may be the long-term aim, but medals in Helsinki are the immediate goal and Sporting Index have come up with a market on the British medal performance in the Finnish capital. Awarding 25 points for a gold medal, 10 for silver and five for a bronze, Sporting make Britain a pessimistic 38-42 and that market merits closer examination, especially as the bookies hate pricing up sports like athletics as invariably they don't know as much as many of the punters.

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If Britain are to have a more successful time than expected, then they'll need a stellar performance from Paula Radcliffe, who will be keen to eradicate some of the painful memories of last year's Olympics in Athens when the heat destroyed her challenge. This time she has set out her stall for a double of 10,000m and marathon and, if she's at her best, she has gold medal chances in both.

Whether or not the double is a sensible option will only really come clear after the first half, the 10,000. The heat of Athens will be replaced by much cooler conditions in Helsinki and that will suit Radcliffe down to the ground. As always on the track, she will be tracked by a trio of Ethiopians, but if she runs her best and gets her tactics right, she'll win. She's three seconds faster than defending champion Berhane Adere and the best time of the year, held by favourite Tiranesh Dibaba, is 14 seconds outside Radcliffe's best. The Africans will try to unsettle her rhythm but, and I repeat, if she's in her top shape then she'll be extremely hard to beat.

If she comes through the 10,000m unscathed and injury-free, then I can't see anyone beating her in the marathon at the end of the championships, which Radcliffe hopes will be enough time to recover. Her winning time at the London Marathon this year is five minutes faster than anyone else has run this year, and her world record is a class above anything anyone else in the field can manage. She has been gearing up for this ever since the Olympics and, barring accidents, she should win.

Being very pessimistic, it is possible that Radcliffe will get squeezed out in the 10,000m but she'll either win the marathon or come nowhere, so the likely make-up from her alone will be either a minimum of 30 or, if injury or illness strikes, then it could of course be zero. Two gold medals, and therefore 50, is by no means impossible.

The best of the rest
Olympic bronze medalist Kelly Sotherton looks nailed on for a medal in the heptathlon, having finished a hair's breadth away from silver in Athens. Carolina Kluft looks a near-certain winner, but Sotherton is likely to be battling Eunice Barber for the silver.

The men's sprinters all have question marks against them, but they tend to run much better in major championships and it wouldn't be the biggest surprise if someone like Mark Lewis-Francis squeezes a bronze. The sprint quartet, winners of the gold in Athens, will be going head-to-head again with the Americans and they ought to at least win a medal, providing they don't drop the baton, of course. The men's 4x400m relay squad also have a chance of a bronze, while if everything went perfectly, the women's 4 x 400 could also sneak a bronze and Tim Benjamin will be high on confidence in the men's 400m after smashing his personal best at Crystal Palace in dipping well under 45 seconds for the first time.

Nathan Douglas has been a revelation in the men's triple jump this season and if he jumps as he has been recently then he has a great chance of a medal. What colour it is will depend on his ability to cope with the pressure, but he has the talent. With Olympic champion Christian Olsson out through injury, the event is wide open.

Of course, there are no weak links when it comes to the world championships and anyone who wins a medal deserves it. Some surprise winners always come through, but in general, the best athletes win and I have to say that if Britain have a good championships then Sporting's quote of 38-42, which is admittedly enticing buyers, will be much too low and I can see a make-up of around 60.

Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.