Beijing, Aug 24 (IANS): Colombian triple jumper Caterine Ibarguen and Jamaican runner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce are the hopes of Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Athletics Championships being held here.

Ibarguen, World champion and Olympic runner-up, has 28 consecutive victories, while it has been three years from her last defeat at the London Olympics, reports Xinhua.

In 2012, Ibarguen was defeated in the qualifiers by Bulgarian Gabriela Petrova with a jump of 14.44 metres, but this does not scare her. The Colombian has now to be more careful of Kazakhstan's Olga Rypakova, Russian Ekaterina Koneva and Ukrainian Olga Saladukha.

On the other hand, everyone is expecting Jamaican runner Fraser-Pryce to win another title. Semifinals seem complicated for her because she will face her compatriot Sherone Simpson, Nigerian Blessing Okagbare and Trinidad and Tobago's Semoy Hackett.

Cuban pole vaulter Yarisley Silva will have a tough competition. Silva is favourite and days ago she became leader in world rankings when she jumped 4.91m in the 17th Pole Vault International Meeting in Beckum, Germany.

The Cuban had a great final in Toronto at the Pan-American Games, competing against Brazilian Fabiana Murer and United States' Jennifer Suhr. Silva will face them again, together with Greek Nikoleta Kiriakopoulou.