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[Smallville22]

World Championships - Russia's Ivanov takes men's 20km race walk gold

Aleksandr Ivanov brought a sparse Luzhniki stadium to its feet and claimed a third successive men's 20-kilometre race walk gold for Russia on Sunday, becoming the youngest walk winner at a world championships.
Ivanov, 20, was greeted by a loud roar of approval as he clocked a personal best 1:20:58 to finish 11 seconds ahead of China's Olympic champion Chen Ding. Spain's Miguel Angel Lopez took bronze in 1:21:21.
Ivanov, continuing Russia's illustrious history in race walking, had been set to battle it out for gold with Olympic silver medallist Erick Barrondo. But the Guatemalan's hopes were crushed when he was shown a third yellow card and disqualified around two-km from the finish.
Russia's 2009 and 2011 world champion Valery Borchin is injured and did not defend his title.

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Bolt coasts into final, Dasaolu also through

Usain Bolt coasted into the final of the men's 100m at the World Championships in Moscow, with Britain's James Dasaolu qualifying as a fastest loser.
Bolt, looking to regain the world title he lost to compatriot Yohan Blake in 2011 after infamously false-starting and suffering disqualification from the final, stepped up his efforts from Saturday's first-round heat.
The six-times Olympic gold medallist eased through a few gears to overhaul Mike Rodgers, joining compatriots Nickel Ashmeade, whose 9.90 was the fastest of the three semis, Kema Bailey-Cole and Nesta Carter in the final in Moscow's Luzhniki stadium.
Completing the final line-up were Americans Rodgers and Justin Gatlin plus fastest losers Dasaolu and Christophe Lemaitre of France.
Briton Dwain Chambers was sixth in Dasaolu's heat.

 

[Smallville22]

Athletics - Seven-metre leap earns Reese long jump gold

Brittney Reese became the first woman to win three long jump titles at the world championships, leaping 7.01 metres.
Reese, gold medallist in 2009 and 2011, had scraped into the final on countback after a below-par showing in Saturday's qualifying but the American had no intention of losing her crown and, after opening with a foul, leapt 7.01 metres.
It was the only seven metre jump of the competition and left Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare, who briefly led in the first round with 6.89 and later improved to 6.99 on her penultimate jump, with silver.
Serbia's Ivana Spanovic was third with a national record 6.82 metres on countback from Belarussian Volha Sudarava.
Before celebrating, Olympic champion Reese put on a t-shirt bearing the words 'unleash the beast', hugged Okagbare and then holding the Stars and Stripes flag, posed for photographers.
Olga Kucherenko in fifth was the best of the three Russians in the final.

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Eaton claims decathlon gold in Russia

American Ashton Eaton cemented his position as the world's greatest athlete when he won the world decathlon title on Sunday, completing a spectacular hat-trick having won Olympic gold and broken the world record last year.
Eaton led from the first event on Saturday morning when he laid down a marker with a 10.35-seconds 100 metres, completing the first day with the fastest 400m ever run in a decathlon world championships having been given a dressing down by his coach after "lacking motivation."
He poured on the pressure on Sunday with impressive performances in the pole vault and javelin opened a virtually
unassailable lead and he made no mistake in the 1,500m finale to triumph with 8,809 points, Germany's Michael Schrader took silver with 8,670 while Canadian Damian Warner of Canada got bronze with 8,512 – both personal best tallies.
"I needed that third javelin throw to secure a solid victory I think," Eaton said after he had been heavily pressured by Schrader in the penultimate event.
"They're all great competitors and when you come across that finish line it's nothing but friends and accomplishments.
"I can just relax now, there's certainly no thought of retirement, maybe I can just keep trying to improve and maybe score 9,000 points again."
The second day's action began in a surreal atmosphere with just a few hundred fans dotted around the vast 81,000-capacity stadium.
After his mental wanderings on Saturday, Eaton's focus was spot on, however. Starting the day with a nine-point lead over 20-year-old compatriot Gunnar Nixon, who faded right back to finish 13th, he immediately extended it in the 110m hurdles where he recovered from clattering the second barrier to run 13.72.
The discus, along with the javelin, is Eaton's weakest discipline and though his 45-metre throw on his third attempt was towards the back end of the field, it was good by his own standards.
Schrader claimed a personal best of 46.44 to climb to second place with compatriot Rico Freimuth briefly moving into the podium positions with a best-of-the-day throw of 48.74. Eaton then maintained his concentration during the long, hot pole vault competition and virtually secured gold with a 5.20 metre clearance, marginally shy of his personal best, that extended his lead after Schrader had to settle for 5.00.
That 181-point cushion gave him a safety net for his weak javelin, which he looked liked needed as Schrader closed right in with another pb of 65.67 metres. Eaton, however, showed his big-event temperament to hit 64.83 with his final throw, earning an overall lead of 168 points, equivalent to around 20 seconds over 1,500 metres.
On a humid night Eaton tucked in safely behind the German to finish in 4:29.80 before just about mustering the energy to wave to the mercifully fuller evening crowd.

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Hot favourite Perkovic claims discus gold

Sandra Perkovic went into the world championships as the favourite and duly delivered with a 67.99 metre throw to claim gold.
Perkovic, who missed the last world championships through a doping ban, had the four longest throws of the year to her name before Moscow and her nearest challenger, China's Siyu Gu, then failed to make the final.
The Croat took that tally to five with her second-round throw of 67.99 and was never seriously threatened.
Melina Robert-Michon won her first major medal 15 years after finishing second in the world juniors as the 34-year-oldFrenchwoman took silver with a national record 66.28, half a metre beyond her previous best.
Cuban Yarelys Barrios threw 64.96 to add another bronze to her collection.

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Bolt reigns supreme in Moscow in 100m

Sprint superstar Usain Bolt won the 100 metres gold medal at the World Championships in Russia in a time of 9.77 seconds in the rain.
Behind the Jamaican superstar, who took his fourth individual world title, American Justin Gatlin won silver in 9.85 and Bolt’s countryman Nesta Carter took bronze in 9.95.
Briton James Dasaolu, 25, crossed the line in last place after a fantastic start, clocking a slow 10.21 - but will still be pleased to have reached the final.
As rain fell and thunder clapped around the Luzhniki Stadium, a pensive-looking Bolt mimed taking out an umbrella before the start.
Disqualified from the 2011 final for false-starting, Bolt made no mistake out of the blocks this time and although trailing Gatlin - directly to his left - at halfway, he surged to the front at the 60m mark.
Gatlin stayed on his shoulder all the way to the line, followed by Carter and two more Jamaicans, Kemar Bailey-Cole and Nickel Ashmeade.
Bolt said he regretted the weather.
"I wanted to do a better time but was not able to because of the weather," Bolt said. "Not singing in the rain, but running in the rain tonight.
"I'm feeling good, just a little bit tired. I need some rest."
With his world record of 9.58 set at the 2009 Berlin world championships seemingly now a distant memory, Bolt still hammered home the message with each muscle-extending stride that he remains sprint king of the track at 27.
"It was not revenge for Daegu, I just came here to win this title," Bolt added.
"I cannot forget Daegu because all you guys keep reminding me on my false start."
Bolt has been far from his best this season - but his best on the night - the second-fastest time of the year after American Tyson Gay's 9.75 in June - was good enough.
Injured Jamaican Yohan Blake did not defend his title from Daegu, South Korea, while Gay was not in Moscow after testing positive for a banned substance.
That and other positive tests from twice Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, fellow Jamaican sprinters Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson and a host of athletes from Turkey and Russia, have dragged down the reputation of the sport.
Bolt, however, is doing all he can to repair.
Former world and Olympic champion Gatlin, twice banned for doping, was disappointed with his performance and not to have won.
"I feel good if I'd run a perfect race and got beaten I would have been concerned, but I didn't run a perfect race," Gatlin said.
"I got a little overexcited and didn't execute the last 30 metres."
World-record holder Bolt regained the title he first won in Berlin in 2009. He will now look to win a seventh and eighth world gold in the 200m and 4x100m relay in Russia.
He also has silver medals in the 200 and relay from the 2007 Worlds in his career haul, along with a perfect six Olympic gold medals from the last two editions of the Games.

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Patience pays off for 10,000 champion Dibaba

Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba bided her time before letting loose on the final lap with an awesome display of speed to complete a hat-trick of world championship 10,000 metres titles on Sunday.
Olympic champion Dibaba, who is now unbeaten in her 11outings over the distance, won in 30:43.35. Kenya's Gladys Cherono was second in 30:45.17 and fast-finishing Ethiopian Belaynesh Oljira pipped Emily Chebetfor bronze in 30:46.98.
Arguably the greatest women's distance runner, Dibaba alsowon the 10,000 in 2007 and did the distance double at the 2005worlds. Long-time race leader Hitomi Niiya of Japan bravely pushed the pace as lightning flashed over the Luzhniki stadium and heavy rain began to fall.
Her Herculean efforts had whittled the leading group down to herself and the four Africans at the bell, but Niiya was no match for Dibaba in full flow and she was left trailing home in a distant fifth.

 

[Smallville22]

Athletics - Ohuruogu on track for another world title

Christine Ohuruogu is primed and ready for another crack at a world title after progressing into the final of the Women's 400m.
Ohuruogu, the world champion in Osaka six years ago, progressed through her 400m semi-final in emphatic style, clocking a season's best 49.75 seconds, just 0.14 seconds off her personal best.
And the 2008 Olympic champion and London 2012 silver medallist couldn't have been happier, according to coach Lloyd Cowan.
"We absolutely can't take anything for granted tomorrow," he said.
"There are six girls inside 50 seconds and most of them are going to be even closer to the line in the final."
Reigning champion Amantle Montsho, who beat Ohuruogu beat in Birmingham earlier this year, was the most impressive qualifier but her British rival was second quickest - and there is no doubting she is a proven major championship performer.
“I'm just really happy to be in the final. I wanted to make sure I finished well at the end," she said.
Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price leads Jamaica's charge for a 100 metres double at the World Championships following hot on the heels of Usain Bolt's rain-swept victory on Sunday.
Arch rivals Jamaica and the US each have four sprinters through to the semi-finals, including American defending champion Carmelita Jeter.
Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare, who won a long jump silver on Sunday, is ranked second in the world behind Fraser-Pryce and has shown the form to end the 11-year domination of this event by US and Jamaica athletes or at the very least become the first African woman to win a world sprint medal.
The final also takes on Monday when six gold medals will be decided.
The 110 metres hurdlers also have semis and final to negotiate and defending champion Jason Richardson is optimistic of an American sweep of the medals.
"Cleanliness is next to Godliness so it won't matter if we sweep up in the race," he told reporters.
"The track is extremely fast, I'm excited to see what I can do."
World record holder Aries Merritt, fastest man of 2013, David Oliver, and surprise US champion Ryan Wilson complete the American line-up.
Amantle Montsho was the fastest in the semi-finals as she attempts to join Australia's Cathy Freeman as the only women to land back-to-back world 400 titles.
The heptathlon gets underway, with the 100 metres hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m, minus world champion Tatyana Chernova and Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill who are both injured – with Katarina Johnson-Thompson the main British hope.
France's Renaud Lavillenie is a big favourite for the men's pole vault with the world title the only one missing from his collection.
The Frenchman, who cleared 6.02 metres at the London Diamond League meeting last month, has won at the Olympics, world indoors and European championships indoors and out
The practically invincible Valerie Adams, unbeaten in 38 competitions, goes for a fourth successive world crown in the shot put while in the men's hammer home favourite Sergey Litvinov hopes to go one better than the silver his father managed in the stadium at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Key times on day three (UK times)

16:00 – Men’s pole vault final

16:05 – Men’s 110m hurdles semi-finals

16:35 - Women's 100m semi-finals

17:05 - Men's 400m semi-finals

17:25 - Women's shot put final

17:30 - Men's hammer throw final

18:15 – Women’s 400m final

18:30 – Men’s 110m hurdles final

18:50 – Women’s 100m final

 

[Smallville22]

Athletics - Bolt considering Glasgow Commonwealth Games

Usain Bolt said he might make a first appearance at the Commonwealth Games, held in Glasgow next year, as he seeks to add another title to the resume he embellished with his second world 100 metres gold on Sunday.
Bolt's comment, when asked by reporters for his plans for the non-Olympic, non-world championship season, will send a frisson of excitement from Moscow to Scotland as organisers contemplate their July 23-Aug 3 event getting an unquantifiable boost from one of the world's most recognisable sportsmen.
Bolt has mentioned the possibility before but the plan seems to be firming up.
"On 'off-years' I try not to stress myself too much," he said after his 9.77 victory in a rainy Moscow.
"But next year I'll have to train hard and push myself. I'll be on the circuit trying to run fast times.
"I've never been to the Commonwealths so that's something I'm thinking about."
"It's always something good to add to the resume."

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Luzhniki track leaves Bolt feeling indifferent

Usain Bolt has said that the unusual track at the Luzhniki Stadium felt 'different' as the Jamaican took gold in the World Championships 100m final.
But the sprint king who usually packs a punch in any stadium, in any city, was left pondering the "different feeling" he got from regaining his world 100metres title on Sunday.
Bolt put his 2011 Daegu disappointment when he was disqualified for false starting in the final firmly behind him when he produced his best race of, by his own high standards, a less than stellar season.
The world's fastest man took gold in 9.77 seconds, ahead of American Justin Gatlin, but admitted the blue Mondo track in Moscow's Luzhniki stadium was unlike any other surface he had encountered in his period of sprint dominance.
"It felt different; I don't know if it was bad different,” the Jamaican told a news conference.
"But it didn't feel like a normal track that I'm used to running on. It was a little bit different. Personally I can't complain about that really."
In cooler air to the earlier muggy conditions, the track was made slick by a downpour that left beads of rain dropping off the eight finalists as they crouched in the blocks.
Bolt, aware that Gatlin, in the lane to his left and the man to beat, was unfazed.
"For me the rain is just the rain. We have run in rain before, We have run in colder weather. It didn't really affect me in any way."
With one gold secured, and with a repeat of his 2008 and2012 triple Olympic gold haul firmly in his sights with the 200metres and 4x100 relay to come, Bolt said he needed time to recover.
"I'm just going to look forward to running the 200 metres, "he said. "I can't promise anything but I'll always go and give it my best. Hopefully everything will come together.
"My legs are sore right now, I'll get some ice baths, get my masseuse to work on them, I should be ok..."
The Jamaican, by his own admission "race rusty" coming into the championships after being dogged by a hamstring injury in the early part of the season, and suffering a rare defeat to Gatlin in Rome in early June, said he felt no pressure in the Russian capital.
"It's all about if you want to put yourself under pressure. For me I don't put myself under any pressure because I know what I want. I want the same thing everybody wants," he said.
"So I go out there and compete. After I win or lose I'm always going to be happy with myself because I went out there and gave it my best."
As befitting a Bolt post-championship winning news conference, he faced the usual barrage of questions on his love of football, Manchester United and his stated desire to play professionally.
"I think they've asked all the running questions, they've run out of things to ask me so they just ask football questions," he said.
But striking a sincere tone, Bolt continued: "I'm always going to choose running, the talent I've got, it was a god given talent and that's what I use.
"I try to inspire people. I try to motivate everybody, let them know that anything is possible."

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Double Olympic champion Sanchez makes light work of hurdles heat

Double Olympic champion Felix Sanchez eased through his 400 metres hurdles heat on the third morning of the World Championships in Moscow.
All the favourites advanced safely in the both 400m hurdles events, with a wide-open men's race headed by American Michael Tinsley and Puerto Rica's Javier Culson likely to be one of the highlights of Thursday night's programme.
American former world champion Bershawn Jackson qualified for the semis but left the track with a heavily-iced hamstring shaking his head.
There was also disappointment for Jamaican former world junior champion Kaliese Spencer, who won her heat but was disqualified for taking her trail leg around, rather than over, one of the hurdles.
Olympic decathlon champion and world record holder Ashton Eaton had won a high-class competition on Sunday but, in contrast, the heptathlon looked desperately short of star quality in the absence of Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill, Russian world champion Tatyana Chernova and Olympic silver medallist Lilli Schwarzkopf of Germany.
Hoping to take full advantage and complete a memorable family double is Brianne Theisen Eaton, the Canadian who married the decathlon winner last month.
She started impressively on Monday with a 13.17 100m hurdles for a hefty 1099 points and recorded a 1.83m high jump; while Katarina Johnson-Thompson ran a 13.49 before jumping 1.83m.
However, she had to settle for second place going into the shot put behind Ukraine's Ganna Melnichenko.
Melnichenko, second-fastest in the hurdles, at last managed to raise some noisy support from the specially flown-in block of several hundred Ukraine fans clad in yellow and blue t-shirts, as she cleared a personal best 1.86 to lead on 2135 points.
Germany's Robert Harting got his bid for a third successive title off to an impressive start when he launched the discus 66.62 metres with his first throw to march into Tuesday's final.
Pole Piotr Malachowski, who has been operating in Harting's shadow for the past four years and was memorably denied the world title by the German's personal-best last throw in 2009, also progressed safely with a 66.00m opener.
Harting's younger brother Christoph, however, missed out.
After Bolt won a men's 100 metres final containing an unprecedented four Jamaicans on Sunday, Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price leads the island's bid for the double in the women's event later on Monday.
Jamaica and the United States each have four women through to the semis, with Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare, who won a long jump silver on Sunday, hoping to crash the final party.
Five other titles will also be decided later on Monday, with the United States hoping for a first global clean sweep for more than half a century in the 110m hurdles.

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Trinidad officials confirm Baptiste's doping absence

Trinidad and Tobago athletics officials confirmed that Kelly-Ann Baptiste is missing the World Championships due to doping violations.
Along with Semoy Hackett, Baptiste left Moscow before competition started on Saturday and Trinidad's National Association of Athletics Administrations (NAAA), who initially declined to give a reason, issued a statement confirming the wide-reported news.
"The absence of both athletes is related to doping matters of varying degrees and complexity," the statement said.
"In the case of Ms. Baptiste this association was notified on Aug. 8 by the IAAF and the results management process is currently under way and, as a result, any further comment at this stage would be premature and inappropriate.
"In the case of Ms. Hackett, the IAAF has appealed the recent decision of the NAAA's Disciplinary Panel to exonerate Ms. Hackett and has also re-suspended her pending the appeal which is to be heard before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
"The NAAA takes this opportunity to reinforce its commitment to drug-free sport and is confident that the legal process regarding both athletes will take its due course."
Baptiste's 10.83 in June makes her the third-fastest woman in the world this year and she would have been a strong medal prospect in Monday's 100m final.
She is from the same training group as former world champion Tyson Gay of the United States, who has returned two positive tests for an undisclosed banned substance and also missed the World Championships.

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Greene running on empty, Shakes-Drayton through in style

Dai Greene snuck through in the heats of the 400m hurdles while Perri Shakes-Drayton eased into the semi-finals at the World Championships in Moscow.
It was just two years ago that the 27-year-old Greene was on top of the world in the Far East, digging deep to claim global gold in the 400m hurdles in Daegu.
But fast forward to the present and all is not well with a knee injury affecting his Olympic preparations last summer and leaving him just short of the podium in fourth.
And this season has been another blighted by injury and illness with Greene suffering from a virus and both hernia and calf issues, the latter forcing him out of the Anniversary Games.
Lady Luck is clearly not on Greene's side and if that wasn't bad enough he picked up another illness on Friday that left him confined to his sickbed for the majority of Saturday.
Subsequently Greene came home fourth in his heat in Russia in 49.79seconds, good enough to see him into the semi-finals albeit nearly two seconds off his personal best.
And, while he lives to fight another day, Greene is adamant his wellbeing needs to change and quickly if he is going to have any hope of reaching another world final.
"It was very difficult and very tough out there," he said. "Obviously I have had a tough last few weeks as I have not been able to do as much hurdling and that showed at the end.
"I was ill on Friday and Saturday as well so it's been a nightmare last few days to be honest. I didn't know whether I'd be good enough to run.
"I didn't really know what I was capable of. Obviously we have the answer and it is not the answer we like but hopefully I'll be a bit better for the semi-final.
"I've had this situation before where I've done one race and the next day I feel a lot better as a result of it, so fingers crossed I can rest up and put in a better performance.
"If I feel like this in the semi-finals realistically I have no chance of getting a medal. So hopefully I feel better and you never know what is going to happen in a race.
"So for me it was about getting to the start line and then try to get myself in the final in the first place."
Greene will be joined by Rhys Williams and Sebastian Rodger in the semi-final, the latter squeezing through as one of the fastest losers on his World Championship debut.
In the women's 400m hurdles event reigning European indoor flat 400m champion Perri Shakes-Drayton made serene progress through to the semi-finals.
The 24-year-old was drawn in between world champion Lashinda Demus and Olympic champion Natalya Antyukh in the heats but looked supreme in powering to the win in 54.42.
And the hurdler admitted afterwards that her self-belief has grown immeasurably after a superb season that has seen her lower her personal best to 53.67.
"That felt good, there was relief that I'm through though," she said. "I knew it could happen but it's just a relief that I'm through.
"It was good. I just need to rest and look after myself and recover properly and the semi-final is another day."
Katarina Johnson-Thompson enjoyed a successful start to her senior World Championship debut as she sits fourth overall in the heptathlon on 2068 points.
The 20-year-old was just 0.01 off her 100m hurdles personal best as she came home in 13.49, before clearing 1.83m in the high jump.
However there was less good news for James Wilkinson and Brett Morse, who failed to progress in the 3000m steeplechase and discus respectively.
Morse could only manage a best distance of 59.23m in qualifying, more than seven metres down on his personal best, something he admitted would be gnawing at him for a long time.
"It's very frustrating," Morse said. "I've been in good shape all year and thrown very far and even in the warm-up I threw very close to the automatic qualification line and I was feeling good.
"Obviously technically things were off and in the World Championships it's unforgiving and I didn't make the cut and it is as simple as that.
"It's the first time I've walked away from a championship angry. I'm so much better than that.
"It doesn't matter how far you can throw in Diamond Leagues or other meetings it is all about what you do in championships and I wasn't good enough."

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Ohuruogu wins thrilling 400m gold

Christine Ohuruogu launched an incredible fightback to win World Championship gold in a thrilling 400m final in Moscow.
Ohuruogu, as is her style, left it incredibly late but somehow overhauled Botswana's defending champion Amantle Montsho in a photo-finish.
Ohuruogu - who was fifth coming into the final bend and fourth into the home strait - dipped over the line following an amazing late surge.
Initially it seemed the Briton had just missed out on gold, but she was awarded the title in a British record time of 49.404 seconds.
Both women had at first been timed at 49.41, but Ohuruogu was rounded down and Montsho posted 49.408.
Russian Antonina Krivoshapka took bronze in 49.78.
Ohuruogu is now the first British woman to win two world titles at these championships, having won gold in Osaka in 2007.
Ohuruogu is a famed championship performer. But she looked to be in real trouble only to finally turn on the burners, as is her trademark, with the line in sight.
Even with 10 metres remaining she was behind Montsho but the 2008 Olympic champion and London 2012 silver medallist desperately dipped for the line to win by four thousandths of a second.
In addition, the Londoner's time erased Kathy Cooke's 29-year old British record.
"I'm just so grateful and I can't believe I've done that, it feels like a dream to me right now, it's just so surreal," Ohuruogu said.
"This is what I've been working for all year, it was so tight on the line but thankfully it came together and I just made it.
"It's been a really hard three days but it means so much to win the world title again.
"I just dipped in time and just got over the line. The national record is the icing on the cake for me, I've wanted that record for so for long and I never stopped believing or trusting I could do it."

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Lemaitre out of worlds with thigh injury

French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre has been ruled out of the rest of Moscow's world athletics championships by a thigh injury sustained during Sunday's 100 metres final.
Despite less-than-stellar form, Lemaitre had been considered a medal contender for the 200 metres, two years after clinching bronze in Daegu. That final is scheduled for Saturday.
"The injury requires him to rest completely for eight days, under medical scrutiny," the French athletics federation (FFA) said in a statement on Monday.
Lemaitre, who finished seventh in the 100 metres and was carried off the track on a stretcher, was to have been a key member of France's 4x100 metres relay team.

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Oliver powers to world hurdles gold

Perennially cheerful American David Oliver finally had something to really smile about on Monday as a powerful run earned him the world 110 metres hurdles gold medal and the global title he so richly deserves.
Oliver, who missed last year's Olympics after a wretched time with injury, had been the form athlete all year and ran impressively throughout the competition in Moscow.
He led early in the final and maintained his form to take an emotional victory in 13.00 seconds, the fastest time of the season.
American dreams of a clean sweep came up just short as veteran Ryan Wilson took silver in 13.13 but a last-hurdle stumble by defending champion Jason Richardson allowed Russia's Sergey Shubenkov to snatch bronze in 13.24.
Olympic champion and world record holder Aries Merritt ran a ragged race and could finish only sixth.
"You know how hard it is to win a title, it's my first one and after a couple of years with some injuries it feels good," the 31-year-old Oliver, who came to Moscow as the world leader with 13.04 seconds, told reporters.
"After the disappointment of not making the Olympics I had to re-set. I had to change my training, my weight rules - I knew that this was the year and if it didn't happen this year it was going to be very tough," he added.
"I feel as if I've been running consistently all year - maybe not the 12s of a few years ago but 13-flat was enough to win the gold tonight."
With Merritt struggling early in the season nobody had gone under the 13-second mark and the openness of the event seemed to be underlined by Wilson's unexpected victory in the U.S. trials.
However, the 32-year-old journeyman, who has had wretched luck with injuries when big events loomed, showed it was no fluke with a great run for silver.
"They stuck me out in lane nine - nobody thought I could do this," he said.
"Maybe next year if I win the trials they won't be surprised."
Shubenkov gave the sparse Luzhniki Stadium crowd something to cheer when he came through for bronze as Richardson caught the last barrier and lost all momentum, ending U.S. hopes of a first global clean sweep in the race since the 1960 Olympics.
Merritt's run illustrated how quickly things can change at the top level of sport. Last year he won Olympic gold and smashed the world record, but a hamstring injury suffered in May left him off the pace all summer.
He had something of a lucky escape in the semi-finals earlier on Monday after being left for dead in the blocks.
Merritt scraped into the final with a pedestrian 13.44 after local favourite Konstantin Shabanov pulled up injured and Jamaica's Hansie Parchment, Olympic bronze medallist last year and second-fastest this season, caught the penultimate barrier when going well.
Oliver, meanwhile, advanced comfortably and the big man, who has spent much of the year being asked about Merritt's performances, can now sit back and talk about his own.
"I've worked so hard for it, made so many sacrifices," Oliver said. "It feels so great to finally hang this thing around my neck."

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Fraser-Pryce storms to women's 100m world title

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce produced a masterful display of sprinting to complete a Jamaican 100 metres double at the world championships with victory in the women's final on Monday.
The 26-year-old set a world leading time of 10.71 seconds for a commanding win which followed hot on the heels of compatriot Usain Bolt who took the men's title on Sunday.
Murielle Ahoure was second in 10.93 to give Ivory Coast its first world championship medal and she became the first African woman to finish on the podium in a sprint.
Defending world champion Carmelita Jeter of the U.S. was third in 10.94.
From the moment twice Olympic champion Fraser-Pryce shot out of the blocks there was only going to be one winner.
Also world champion in 2009, the Jamaican was never headed and her rivals were left watching the soles of her bright pink spikes and matching hair extensions as she powered to the line.

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Unrivalled Adams secures fourth successive shot put gold

New Zealand's Valerie Adams became the first woman to win four successive world titles when she secured shot put gold on Monday.
A third-round throw of 20.88 metres proved enough for Adams, who suffered a tearful defeat by Belarussian Nadzeya Ostapchuk at the London Olympics, only to be upgraded to gold after the winner failed a dope test.
Germany's Christina Schwanitz (20.41) took silver and Gong Lijao of China (19.95) bronze.
"It's even more amazing to win coming off the London Olympics," Adams said.
"Yes, I made history becoming the four-time world champion and I think it's good for women's sport as a whole.
"I win because I work hard."
American sprinter Allyson Felix won three successive 200 metres world titles between 2005 and 2009, but missed out in 2011 when she took bronze.
Cuban hammer thrower Yipsey Moreno also won three world titles in a row between 2001 and 2005 but was denied a fourth in Osaka in 2007 when she missed gold by just two centimetres.

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - Sharman frustrated after another world final top five

His consistency on the world stage is certainly impressive but that was little consolation to Will Sharman after he finished outside the medals once again in the 110m hurdles world final in Moscow.
The 28-year-old came home fifth in the Luzhniki Stadium, narrowly missing out on a podium with a time of 13.30 seconds, as American David Oliver stormed to gold in 13 seconds flat.
The British athlete has now finished in the top five for the last three successive World Championships but break the top three in any of them.
And after clipping the first hurdle as he burst from the blocks, Sharman cut a disconsolate figure after the race.
“I’m not very pleased with that," he said.
“I made a mistake off hurdle one and it was hard work from there. It’s good to make the final but once you’re in the final you have to get a medal and all I needed to do was to perform to the best of my ability – I can’t wake up tomorrow morning and say I did that.
“At the beginning of the season this was the aim, you have to improve on what you’ve done before.”
Elsewhere, Katarina Johnson-Thompson admits she had to get angry to get her heptathlon campaign back on track during a Jekyll and Hyde first day.
With Olympic champion Jessica Ennis-Hill forced to miss the trip to Russia with an Achilles injury, British hopes rested on the young shoulders of Johnson-Thompson.
But the 20-year-old didn’t seem too weighed down, running 13.49 seconds in the 100m hurdles – just 0.01 off her personal best.
However, she could only manage 1.83m in the high jump – usually one of her strongest disciplines – and after finishing way down in 31st in the shot put, she sat 14th overall.
But when she needed it most she pulled a personal best of 23.27 secs in the 200m to go into the overnight break sixth in the rankings on 3739 points.
“The first day has been mixed emotions as it always is with the heptathlon,” she said.
“I had a good start in the hurdles and I was quite happy with where I finished in the 200m, it was just the high jump and shot put that let me down.
“The shot put lets me down in most major competitions, but the high jump is one of my favourite events so I was quite heartbroken that I couldn’t do what I wanted to do.
“So I took the frustration out on the 200m and it just came off. I was running angry and I think it showed out there with a PB.
“But overall I am happy with where I am and heading into the second day. The long jump and 800m are two of my best events so hopefully I can have good results there.”
It was less good news for Asha Philip and Nigel Levine who went out in the semi-finals of the women’s 100m and men’s 400m respectively.
But while Levine admitted he was still some way off competing with the world’s best, the 22-year-old Philip took plenty of optimism from her first major outdoor championships.
“I’m not happy with that race at all but I can’t complain,” said Philip, who has suffered terribly with injuries since bursting onto the scene with 100m gold at the World Youth Championships in 2007.
“I’ve just got to take it that I’m at my first senior championships and I got to the semi-final, so that should be a pat on the back in itself.
“Coming from what I’ve done, never being able to believe in myself and coming this far, I’m going to take it as a positive.”

 

[Smallville22]

World Championships - German Holzdeppe takes shock pole vault gold

Germany's Raphael Holzdeppe was a shock winner of the men's world pole vault title on Monday as he edged red-hot French favourite Renaud Lavillenie on countback.
Both men failed three times to clear 5.96 metres but the German had been faultless in moving up through the heights to notch 5.89 while Olympic champion Lavillenie, who had dominated the event all season, was uncharacteristically off form and had several failures along the way.
Olympic silver medallist Bjoern Otto of Germany took bronze on countback ahead of American Brad Walker and another German, Malte Mohr, after all three cleared 5.82. At 35 he becomes the oldest pole vault world championship medallist.
Holzdeppe had beaten Lavillenie at the Rome Diamond League this season but that was a rare blip for the Frenchman who came to Moscow with the six best vaults of the year under his belt.
Such was his confidence that after clearing 6.02m last month at the London Diamond League he attempted an audacious 6.16m world record attempt - 2cm beyond the 19-year-old mark of 6.14 set by Sergey Bubka, who was watching the action on Monday.
Maybe he was un-nerved by seeing his younger brother Valentin failing to clear his opening height and depart close to tears but Lavillenie was not his usual assured self at the Luzhniki Stadium.
He had the bar off at what for him should have been an easy 5.65 and, after passing at 5.75, missed his first attempt at 5.82.
Two more fails at 5.89 showed that something was wrong, though he then delivered an assured clearance, which he greeted with a guttural roar, on his third.
Holzdeppe, meanwhile, was calmly going about his business, clearing 5.65, 5.82 then the all-important 5.89 at the first attempt.
He too failed at 5.96 but when Lavillenie did the same, the gold was the German's.
"I had already beaten him this year and I knew that when you put him under pressure he is beatable," Holzdeppe said.
"So I cleared every height at the first attempt and had the advantage of going before him.
"When he had his last attempt I was really nervous - but we can start the party now."
Lavillenie, who took bronze at the last two world championships, had no complaints.
"My technique was bad - imagine I needed three attempts for 5.89," he said.
"I fought all the way and this is my third world championship medal but it is the hardest to take."