The second biggest athletics event after the Olympics will begin on Friday. South Africas team selection hogged the headlines in the lead-up to the event, but with all of that out of the way, the countrys best can focus on the task at hand.

South Africa should return with a reasonable medal haul with seven national record holders in the team. Akani Simbine (100m), Wayde van Niekerk (200m and 400m), Antonio Alkana (110m hurdles), Luvo Manyonga (long jump), Lebogang Shange (20km walk), Carina Horn (200m) and Caster Semenya (800m) will all be eyeing silverware.

But its Van Niekerk gunning for the 200m and 400m double that will be of most interest. Caster Semenya, as it stands, is also doubling up doing both the 800m and the 1,500m. Sunette Viljoen is out of the javelin event through injury while Luvo Manyonga will continue his quest to become the first man to jump 9m, having recovered from an injury of his own.

The World Championships follows a similar format to the Olympics: prelim rounds preceding semis and finals. Daily Maverick will be offering a daily digest of who is running, but to get you started, heres a full list of competitors, their events, their best efforts in 2017 (as well as the world best) and all the scheduled times for all the events in that category.

Athletes: Akani Simbine, Thando Roto
Event: 100m
Time: 4 August, 20:00 (Prelim), 5 August 12:45 (Heats), 20:05 (Semi), 22:45 (final)
Best effort in 2017: 9.92 (Simbine), 9.98 (Roto)
World leading time in 2017: 9.82 (Christian Coleman, US)

Athletes: Akani Simbine, Wayde van Niekerk, Clarence Munyai
Event: 200m
Time: 7 August, 19:30 (Heats), 9 August, 21:55 (Semi-final), 10 August, 22:50 (Final)
Best effort in 2017: 19.95 (Simbine), 19.84 (Van Niekerk), 20.10 (Munyai)
World leading time in 2017: 19.77 (Isaac Makwala, Botswana)

Athletes: Wayde van Niekerk, Pieter Conradie
Event: 400m
Time: 5 August, 11:45 (Heats), 6 August, 20:40 (Semi), 8 August, 22:50 (Final)
Best effort in 2017: 43.62 (Van Niekerk), 45.15 (Conradie)
World leading time in 2017: 43.62 (Van Niekerk)

Athlete: Stephen Mokoka
Event: 10 000m
Time: 2 August, 22:20
Best effort in 2017: Has not competed in the event in 2017, best time in 2016 – 13:23.66
World leading time in 2017: 27:08.26 (Abadi Jadis, Ethiopia)

Athletes: Lusapho April, Sibusiso Nzima, Desmond Mokgobu
Event: Marathon
Time: 6 August, 11:55
Best effort in 2017: 2:11:41 (April), 2:10:51 (Mokgobu), Nzima has not competed in 2017, best in 2016: 1:01:44
World leading time in 2017: 2:03:58 (Wilson Kipsang, Kenya)

Athlet: Antonio Alkana
Event: 110m hurdles
Time: 6 August, 14:15 (Heats), 21:10 (Semi), 7 August, 22:30 (final)
Best effort in 2017: 13.11
World leading time in 2017: 12.90 (Omar McLeod, Jamaica)

Athletes: Luvo Manyonga, Ruswahl Samaai, Zarck Visser
Event: Long jump
Time: 4 August, 20:30 (Qualifiers), 5 August, 21:05 (Final)
Best effort in 2017: 8.65 (Manyonga), 8.49 (Samaai), 8.22 (Visser)
World leading distance in 2017: 8.65 (Manyonga) [Note: Manyonga and Samaai occupy nine out of the top ten distance for 2017]

Athletes: Orazio Cremona, Jaco Engelbrecht
Event: Shot put
Time: 5 August, 11:00 (Qualification), 6 August 21:35 (Final)
Best effort in 2017: 21.12 (Cremona), 20.63 (Engelbrecht)
World leading distance in 2017: 22.65 (Ryan Crouser, US)

Athlete: Victor Hogan
Event: Discus
Time: 4 August, 19:20 – 20:45 (Qualifiers), 5 August, 19:25 (Final)
Best effort in 2017: 64.18
World leading distance in 2017: 71.29 (Daniel Stahl, Sweden)

Athlete: Rocco van Rooyen
Event: Javelin
Time: 10 August, 20:05-21:35, 12 August 21:15
Best effort in 2017: 84.09
World leading distance in 2017: 94.44 (Johannes Vetter, Germany)

Athlete: Shange Lebogang
Event: 20km walk
Time: 12 August, 15:20
Best effort in 2017: 1:21:00
World leading time in 2017: 1:17:54 (Kaihua Wang, China)

Athlete: Carina Horn
Event: 100m
Time: 5 August, 12:45 (Heats), 6 August 20:10 (Semi), 22:50 (Final)
Best effort in 2017: 11.05
World leading time in 2017: 10.72 (Tawanna Meadows, USA)

Athlete: Justine Palframan
Event: 200m
Time: 8 August, 20:30 (Heats), 10 August, 22:05 (Semi), 22:50 (Final)
Best effort in 2017: 22.84
World leading time in 2017: 21.77 (Tori Bowie, USA)

Athletes: Caster Semenya, Gena Lofstrand
Event: 800m
Time: 10 August, 20:25 (Heats), 11 August, 20:35 (Semi), 13 August, 21:10 (Final)
Best effort in 2017: 1:55.27 (Semenya), 2:01.50 (Lofstrand)
World leading time in 2017: 1:55.27 (Semenya)

Athlete: Caster Semenya
Event: 1500m
Time: 4 August, 20:35 (Heats), 5 August, 20:35 (Semi), 7 August, (22:50)
Best effort in 2017: 4:16.87
World leading time in 2017: 3:56.14 (Sifan Hassan, Netherlands)

Athletes: Mapaseka Makhanya, Jenna Challenor
Event: Marathon
Time: 6 August, 15:00
Best effort in 2017: No IAAF recognised times available for 2017, 2016 bests – 2:37:19 (Makhanya), 2:37:12 (Challenor)
World leading time in 2017: 2:17:01 (Mary Keitany, Kenya)

Athlete: Rikenette Steenkamp
Event: 100m hurdles
Time: 11 August, 11:45 (Heats), 20:05 (Semi), 12 August, 21:05
Best effort in 2017: 12.99
World leading time in 2017: 12.28 (Kedra Harrison, USA)

Athlete: Wenda Nel
Event: 400m hurdles
Time: 7 August, 20:30 (Heats), 8 August, 21:35 (Semi), 10 August, 22:35 (Final)
Best effort in 2017: 54.58
World leading time in 2017: 52.64 (Dalilah Muhammad, US)

Athletes: Justine Palframan, Gena Lofstrand, Ariane Nel, Zoe Engler, Caster Semenya, Wenda Nel
Event: 4x400m relay
Time: 12 August, 12:20 (Heats), 13 August 21:55, (Final)
No best efforts available. DM

Photo: A collage of South African athletes competing at the IAAF World Championships in London from 4-13 August 2017. Photo source: various