In a year void of Olympics or World Championships, 2014 has been nothing short of thrilling. The Diamond League was as exciting as ever, culminating in last week’s finale in Brussels which produced a thrilling high jump, another classic Makhloufi moment, and even an American record in the steeple. 

If that wasn’t enough, one final event on the track and field calendar is set to have the world’s attention as the IAAF Continental Cup comes to Marrakech, Morocco this weekend. The event, formally known as the IAAF World Cup, is the only international track and field competition that separates opposing teams by continent instead of just individual countries. The continents competing in Marrakech will be Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and the Americas. Here are the events that will have our attention in Morocco. 

Men’s 3,000m:
Bernard Lagat will be 40 in December, but never mind that, he is going to win the 3k this weekend in Morocco. Lagat returns to this event four years after winning both the 3,000 and 5,000 in 2010, and will face stiff competition from Kenyan Caleb Ndiku. Ndiku just won the Diamond League title in the 5,000 last month in Zurich, and was the World Indoor 3k champion last March in Poland.  

While the 22-year-old would be favored on paper over Lagat, Kip has become a master tactician over the years, and knows how to beat faster competition in big races. He consistently does this by staying patient throughout the majority of race, and not wasting energy to cover every surge. In a championship race, Lagat is still among the fastest in the world over the last 200 meters. Ndiku would be wise to push the pace outside of Lagat’s comfort level, but he won’t want to lead the entire race by himself. Hanging back in a kicker’s race, Lagat will steal this one in 7:42 with a fast final lap. 

Men’s 3k Steeple: 
Riding the high of a new American record, Evan Jager has the potential to do some damage for Team Americas in Marrakech. We don’t expect Jager to run faster than 8:04.71 as Continental Cup races have been very tactical in the past, but he still has the ability to score valuable points for the defending champions. Jager enters Marrakech with the 2nd fastest PB in the field, and with the confidence that he is one of the best steeplers in the world. 

Standing in Jager’s way will be Jairus Kipchoge Birech, the Diamond League champion, and the first man to break 8 minutes in 2014 with his 7:58.41 from Brussels. Birech has been on fire of late, winning eight of his last nine races, the only blemish coming in his 2nd place finish at the Commonwealth Games. 

This race should be a good test of Jager’s ability to close hard off a slow early pace. As World and Olympic finals are always tactical, Jager has to be able to run a 2:37-2:39 final 1K if he has any hopes for a medal in 2015 or 2016. Birech will win, but Jager will make it interesting coming off a brilliant performance in Brussels. 

Women’s 800m:
A month ago we would have told you that this race would be a two-way battle between Ajee Wilson and Eunice Sum. Wilson had been dominating all her races, including an impressive victory in Monaco that saw her run 1:57.67, a new world lead.The 20-year-old looked relaxed in that effort, and seemed destined for faster times in the weeks that followed. 

Sum had been even more impressive, dominating the Diamond League and winning six out of seven races from June to August. After Sum cleaned up at Commonwealths and the African Championships, our attention turned to the Birmingham DL, as Wilson and Sum figured to duke it out for possibly a sub-1:57. 

Birmingham would prove to be disappointing for both Wilson and Sum, and so too would the Diamond League finale in Brussels. Wilson could only manage a 2:01.70 in Birmingham and was even worse off in Brussels, running a 2:02.89, good for 9th place. Sum maintained better form than Wilson, placing 2nd in Birmingham and 3rd in the finale, but was still very disappointing considering the tear she had been on. 

What can we expect from these two ladies in Marrakech? Sum figures to be the favorite, as she has maintained some consistency, but Wilson is the real question mark. An American record seemed like an attainable goal for Wilson not too long ago, but now just breaking 2 minutes has become difficult. She has run a lot of races this season dating back to indoors, and may just be suffering the normal fatigue after a long season. 

Wilson would do well in Morocco to secure 2nd place behind Sum, but Team Europe’s Lynsey Sharp has come on strong of late, and presents a big challenge to the African champion. As Wilson continues to struggle, Sharp will impress once again as she beats Sum and scores valuable points for Europe. 

Men’s High Jump:
Just when we thought we had seen it all, Mutaz Essa Barshim had one last surprise for us in Brussels. Jumping for a Diamond League title, the 23-year-old from Qatar leaped to 2.43m, #3 All-Time, and the highest mark any human had set since 1993. 

If that wasn’t enough, both Barshim and Bohdan Bondarenko will be in Marrakech to give Javier Sotomayor’s 2.45m world record one more go before the story is written on the 2014 season. Barshim, competing for Team Asia-Pacific, enters as the favorite over Bondarenko, who will compete for Team Europe. A month ago, Bondarenko had clearly been the best jumper in world, coming off a streak that saw him win six competitions in a row, including the Monaco DL over Barshim. 

Oh, how the times have changed. Barshim beat the Ukranian star in Birmingham, but that turned out to just be the appetizer for what was to come in Brussels. There, Barshim looked the part of someone ready to set a new world record by jumping higher than anyone in 20 years, and was a class above even Bondarenko. 

If Barshim can recapture the magic we saw in Brussels, Bondarenko and the rest of the field in Morocco are in for a long meet. This should be an entertaining showcase between the two men, as Barshim jumps 2.42m for another commanding victory.