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Dinesh Weerawanse reporting from France

PARIS, Friday. - Heavy rains and gloomy skies, ending one of the hottest summer ever in France, were greatly welcomed by French citizens on the eve of Sri Lanka's men's 4 x 400m relay team first round heats of the 9th IAAF World Championships at Stade de France here today.

France experienced probably its hottest summer with temperatures going over 40 centigrade earlier this month.

Many athletes, guests and visitors to France had second thoughts at the beginning of the month as the three-week long 'Heat Wave' killed more than 10,000 across France -many of them elders who could not bear the extraordinary heat.

But the French capital and many cities cross the country experienced heavy rains and the skies were gloomy right through out the day.

The rains would mark the end of the hot summer and even threatens to disrupt this weekend's last two day's proceedings of the IAAF World Championship in Saint Dennis. Nevertheless, the general public here greeted rain with happy smiles though the athletic fans have mixed feelings.

The last event for Sri Lanka in the ninth edition of the 203-nation track and field extravaganza would be on tomorrow (30). Sri Lanka team will take part in the men's 4 x 400m first round heats at 6.55 p.m. local time (10.55 pm Sri Lanka) on Saturday night. If they qualify, they could run in the final scheduled for 7.35 pm (11.35 pm SL time) on Sunday, which would be the last event of the Paris World Championship.

Sri Lanka's 400m relay team has been training hard over the past few days, though wet weather forced them to engage in indoor training today. Three of Sri Lanka's leading 400m runners - former Asian Games gold medallist Sugath Tillakaratne, ex Asian Championship double gold medallist Rohan Pradeep Kumara, 2003 Asian Grand Prix series triple bronze medallist Prasanna Amarasekera, will be running in the relay along with 2001 Edmonton World Championship sprinter Ranga Wimalawansa.

Sri Lanka must finish within the last 16, that's in the semi-final line up, if they are to qualify to field their 400m men's relay team for the Olympic Games.

"Our target is the final. Sri Lanka has the best men's 400m relay team after almost two decades. The boys are running well. They had encouraging timings here after doing so well in the Asian Grand Prix series. I don't see any reason for them falling short of that goal," coach Gunawardena said today.

Gunawardena said this is the best opportunity for Sri Lanka to impress in relays after 1974 when Sri Lanka won men's 4 x 400m Asian Games gold medal in Teheran. "I want our boys to do even better. If they come out with their best, we should be there and make it to Olympics as well," he added.

Soldier Amarasekera will run the first lap for Sri Lanka with sailor Fernando coming in next. Taking the baton from his Navy team mate Fernando to do the third lap would be Wimalawansa. Soft-spoken 'Norton Bridge power house', Tillakaratne will do the anchor lap for the Lankans. Amarasekera said he would make every effort to get a considerable lead early. Fernando and Wimalawansa said they will try to keep the rhythm and maintain whatever the early advantage gained by Sri Lanka, or to consolidate on that.

Tillakaratne said he would do his normal last dash and said if they click well, they could look forward to a better result.

Meanwhile, American Kellie White completed a grand 'golden double' after she won women's 200m dash with the world's leading timing this year - 22.05 seconds. Her team mate Torry Edwards settled for the bronze with 22.47, finishing behind the Russian silver medallist Anastasiya Kapachinskaya (22.38).

Though this was Susanthika Jayasinghe's pet event, the Lankan lass was not there as she pulled out of the championship with a hamstring injury after the 100m heats. If Jayasinghe had been there and come out with her 2000 Olympic bronze medal winning career best timing of 22.28 seconds, she would have won the silver here, a feat she performed in 1997 Athens World Championships. Gold medallist White admitted she was cramping towards the latter part of the magical 200m dash. "To tell you the truth, I was in a little bit of pain. I was cramping towards the end and I am really tired too," she said.

White said winning women's 100m and 200m gold was not an easy task. "It was not easy at all. I just got really well off the blocks and was not sure how far they were behind me.

I just kept pushing through until the finish line," she added.

"I still have a goal which I have to fulfilled yet but I cant tell you what it is," White said hinting on an Olympic sprint gold in Athens next year.

Among the other gold medallists on day sixth of the mega event were Australian Jana Pittman (53.22 seconds in women's 400m hurdles final), Italian Giuseppe Gibilisco (5.90m in men's pole vault final) and Cuban Yipsi Moreno (73.33m in women's hammer throw final).

There was a big cheering for Frenchwoman Manuela Montebrun from large crowds, many of them in specially designed T-shirts to back the hammer thrower. But she managed just a bronze (70.92), behind Russian Olga Kuzenkova (71.71).

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