Athletics Round-up:American Allyson Felix foiled Veronica Campbell's gold rush today, streaking past the Jamaican to win the 200m title by the largest margin in world championships history.
Jeremy Wariner kept the stars and stripes fluttering in Japan
with an expected victory in the 400m and Liu Xiang finally gave
China something to cheer about when he stormed to the 110m hurdles
title.
Campbell had been bidding to emulate Tyson Gay's men's sprint
double, having won the 100 metres on Monday, but was no match for
Felix who retained her title in the year's best time of 21.81
seconds.
She beat Campbell by 0.53 seconds - the biggest margin in 11
championships - and her time was the quickest by a woman over the
distance since compatriot Inger Miller won the 1999 championships
in a time 0.04 seconds faster.
"It ranks at the top," Felix told reporters. "Breaking 22 ...
it is so special ... it hasn't happened in a real long time.
"I've been looking to do it (sub-22) for a real long time. To
do it and win the title at the same time is real special."
Wariner retained his world title in style, the Texan powering off the final bend to clock 43.45 seconds. LaShawn Merritt took silver in 43.96 with Angelo Taylor completing an all-American podium with a time of 44.32.
The US became the first nation to sweep the men's 400m.
Wariner has not lost a championship race since 2004.
"I knew I would run a fast time," Wariner said. "Sweep means
a lot to me and US athletics. I'm fulfilling step by step all my
goals.
"Next year it is to defend my Olympic title. The world record
(Michael Johnson's 43.18), it will come when it should come."
US euphoria was tempered, though, by the news that defending
decathlon champion Bryan Clay was forced to pull out after four
events.
Clay, second behind Jamaica's Maurice Smith after three
events, pulled his right quadricep muscle in the high jump.
Smith was leading the decathlon after five events with 4,525
points, ahead of Kazakh Dmitriy Karpov (4,439) and Czech Roman
Sebrle (4,434).
Felix stormed past Olympic 200m champion Campbell after the
curve and left her to collect silver. Sri Lanka's 31-year-old
Susanthika Jayasinghe won bronze.
Campbell can still grab her second gold of the championships in
the women's 4x100m relay tomorrow.
"I am thankful," Campbell said. "Medal is a medal ... I
tried, but it was more difficult than the shorter final.
"Gold and silver, I am satisfied with my accomplishments
here. We still have the relay."
China's Liu snatched gold in the high hurdles to complete his
collection of major titles.
The Olympic champion and world record holder's winning time
of 12.95 seconds was well outside his best of 12.88 but was enough
to see off America's Terrence Trammell and David Payne.
"It's really great, I am very satisfied with the victory and
also the time because in a big international event you don't always
have fast performances," Liu said.
Russia's Tatyana Lebedeva was denied a world championships
double when the long jump champion was beaten into silver in the
triple jump by Cuba's Yargelis Savigne.
Savigne's leap of 15.28m was the year's best.
"It's life," Lebedeva said. "I wanted the second gold but the
Cuban jumper was more fresh than me. Already during warm-up I felt
a little pain in my ankle."
Russia's Olga Kaniskina easily won gold in the women's 20
kilometres walk after a farcical start to the race.
The pace-setters attempted to leave Osaka's Nagai stadium
track for the road a lap early and had to be chased back in by
red-faced officials.
Kaniskina won in one hour, 30 minutes and nine seconds.
Fellow Russian Tatyana Shemyakina took silver and Spain's Maria
Vasco bronze.