Nesta Carter
Coming into the championships, Ivory Williams had run a world-leading time of 6.49 seconds to win the US indoor championships, positioning him as a possible gold medallist. However, he tested positive for marijuana and he received a three-month ban, while his world-leading performance was annulled. This made Dwain Chambers the competitor with the best pre-championships form, closely followed by Mike Rodgers, Nesta Carter and Daniel Bailey.