New Zealand's best medal prospects will open the World Athletics Championships in Berlin this weekend with Valerie Vili favourite to retain her shot put title, while Kimberley Smith has a good chance in the 10,000 metres.
Smith is considered the best of the rest outside of Africa, in particular two-time defending champion and Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia.
Athletics New Zealand high performance manager Kevin Ankrom believes she can produce a top performance if the race is run her way
Meanwhile Vili competes on Sunday night.
There are 11 New Zealanders at the 10-day event.