New world athletics boss Sebastian Coe will privately be breathing a sigh of relief that Olympic champion Bolt repelled Gatlin’s challenge after the sport was plunged into crisis by allegations of widespread doping.
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In a strong field that also included Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell and Jimmy Vicaut, Gatlin looked to have had a slight upper hand with 30 metres to go, but Bolt’s famous surge would see him record his fastest time of the year, 9.79 in comparison to Gatlin’s 9.80, to secure a famous – and popular – victory.
Thirty-three-year-old Gatlin’s 20-year-old team-mate Trayvon Bromell was the second fastest qualifier in 9.91. “I’m not anxious, I want to get faster in the semi-final and get something more in the final”. “I think I’m in that shape”, he said. Fraser-Pryce has three of the top-five fastest times in the world this season. “He kind of ran slow in the first round [10.09], picked it up in semis [9.87] and crushed it in finals [9.63]”.
It was the 92nd time Powell, who served a six-month ban for doping after a positive test saw him miss the 2013 worlds in Moscow, has dipped under the once-mythical 10 second barrier.
Lane draw for the 100m final: 1.
The Briton’s preparation for the defence of his titles in Beijing has been disrupted by a storm surrounding doping claims against his coach Alberto Salazar.
While there was no suggestion this included the British star – though his U.S. rival Galen Rupp was implicated in a report by the BBC and ProPublica – Farah has been at pains to clear his name.
Even though Wang had been undefeated for a year, he entered the Bird’s Nest when Lopez was already moving toward the finish line celebrating a gold medal to add to his European title from last year.
World-record holder Dennis Kimetto and Kenyan teammate Wilson Kipsang dropped out of the race while Mark Korir finished 22nd, leaving gold to Eritrean teenager Ghirmay Ghebreslassie.
Both Gatlin and Rodgers were assisted by a wind of +0.9m/s in their race, while the other finalists ran against a -0.4m/s wind. “I’m happy to be back here”.
“It means a lot because there’s sometimes certain things that happen out of your control”.
The World Athletics Championships will begin with a bang in Beijing this weekend with what promises to be one of the most high-profile battles for men’s 100 meters gold in recent memory.
Instead of injury, Ennis-Hill took a break from the heptathlon to become a mother previous year, and also has been struggling to find her best form this season. “This is my first gold medal in my first marathon championship”, said the Eritrean, crowned the youngest ever world marathon victor in just his fourth race.
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Rudisha, one of the many great runners on the Kenyan team, led from start to finish with his majestic stride in full motion to reach the semifinals of the 800 meters. I do not have words to explain what I feel today.
