The Wimbledon Championships are currently ticking that box both in terms of the women’s singles, a beguiling mix of talents old and new, and the men’s singles, where three of the "Big Four" are now out of the door. Andy Murray’s dodgy hip notwithstanding, who would have predicted that?

And while the title now appears Roger Federer’s to lose, given the way the tournament has gone so far, who would confidently announce that Sam Querrey, Tomas Berdych or Marin Cilic will not end Sunday afternoon holding above their head the little silver gilt Cup with the big title - “The All England Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World”?

Doubt existed until the final second of the third and deciding match between the All Blacks and the touring Lions. That neither team could secure the overall victory disappointed many, but the intensity of the contest and the unpredictability of the result effectively supercharged the rugby union brand. Honour even - and all still to play for.

Which pretty much describes the state of play right now in the men’s javelin event that promises to provide the most competitive contest of the next month’s International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in London’s Olympic Stadium.

London will provide answers to some questions that have been formulated since the start of the year. Will Usain Bolt be able to sign off his championship career with a final global gold in the 100 metres - or will his farewell party be spoiled by a young gatecrasher such as Canada’s Andre de Grasse or Christian Coleman of the United States? (Or even his older rival Justin Gatlin, the 35-year-old winner of last month’s USA Track and Field World Championship trials).

Will Britain’s 34-year-old Mo Farah also be able to sign off on his own track championship career as he defends his 5,000m and 10,000m titles?

But what gives these impending Championships that Wimbledon 2017 feel is the uncertainties that now attend other events in the light of recent performances on the circuit.

In the men’s triple jump, world and Olympic champion Christian Taylor seemed set for another global gold after winning at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene two months ago with a best of 18.11 metres - only 10 centremetres off his best, and 18cm less than the 1995 world record achieved by Britain’s Jonathan Edwards.

But then his US rival Will Claye reached a personal best of 17.91m to win last month’s US World Championships trials - at which Taylor made no more than a token appearance. And then, at last week’s Lausanne Diamond League meeting, Cuba’s Pedro Pablo Pichardo, who took on Taylor mano a mano two years ago in 18m-plus territory, returned to winning ways to defeat both Americans.

The women’s triple jump also appears to be at tipping point as Colombia’s 33-year-old world and Olympic champion Caterine Ibarguen is now under heavy pressure from the 21-year-old Venezuelan world indoor champion Yulimar Rojas, who earned a landmark victory over her older rival at last month’s IAAF Diamond League in Rome.

Meanwhile in the men’s pole vault France’s 30-year-old Renaud Lavillenie, who is missing only a world gold in a career that has seen him achieve every other possible title and achievement, is now struggling to return to the peak of form following a winter injury that kept him away from vaulting until mid-May.

As Lavillenie edges back to his competitive best, US vaulter Sam Kendricks, who achieved his first 6.00m jump in winning last month’s US World Championships trials, has beaten the world record holder in the last two Diamond League meetings and is gaining in confidence every day. While Brazil’s Olympic champion, Thiago de Braz, lurks somewhat mysteriously in the background…

For all that, the men’s javelin in London  threatens to really hit the spot, given the extraordinary burgeoning talent of German throwers Thomas Röhler, the Olympic champion, and Johannes Vetter, who appear on the brink of taking the event on to territory beyond even the reach of the retired world record holder Jan Zelezny.

At the first Diamond League meeting of the season, Röhler, an extraordinarily intelligent and composed 25-year-old, won with a best of 93.90m, which put him second on the all-time list behind the Czech thrower, whose 1996 world record stands at 98.48m.

He followed up a couple of weeks ago by winning at the Ostrava meeting with two more 90m-plus throws, the best of them 91.53m. So far, so awesome.

But on Tuesday night his 24-year-old compatriot Vetter, having beaten him to the German title on Sunday with a best of 89.35m, produced an extraordinary performance at the Lucerne meeting.

Having arrived at the Stadion Allmend with a personal best of 89.68m, Vetter produced four – yes, four – 90m-plus throws, the furthest of them being 94.44m, elevating him to second on the all-time list behind just four longer throws by Zelezny.

With other talents around such as Kenya’s defending champion Julius Yego and the Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, who won this month’s Paris Diamond League meeting with a personal best of 88.02m, this promises to be the real one to watch at London 2017. Undoubtedly.