Felix aims third successive 200m WC Gold

Dinesh WEERAWANSA reporting from Germany

The women’s 200m final and men’s 400m final will add colour to Friday night’s schedule of the 12th IAAF World Championships at the Olympiastadion here in the German capital.

Whether the defending champion Allyson Felix of the USA bow down to the Jamaican challenge or not is left to be seen in women’s 200m final. But if she could live up to expectations and win the gold medal today, she will create history by becoming the first woman to win 200m gold medal in three successive World Championships.

Prior to the two sprint finals, gold medalists in two field events would be decided – in men’s high jump final and women’s discus throw final.

If Felix could bag the women’s 200m gold and Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt could live up to expectations in men’s 400m, then the Americans could regain their supremacy to a certain extent before this weekend’s 100m and 400m relay finals. Americans Wariner and Merritt have been shaping well in men’s 400m for several seasons and are out to dominate in the men’s single lap sprint.

Since his commanding victory at the Beijing Olympics last year, Merritt has steadily taken over the leader’s role in the event, despite not having knocked heads with compatriot Wariner yet this season. The 23-year-old Olympic champion took silver in Osaka with his first career sub-44, is in Berlin with five of the season’s eight fastest performances, capped by two at 44.50, the year’s fastest. In contrast, Wariner, the two-time defending champion,has been undefeated in six races in the 400 this year. But on paper, the 25-year-old Texan is clearly lagging behind his mid-summer form of seasons past. He has a 44.66 season’s best, but that came nearly two months ago in Carson.

After a world-leading 44.37 run, reigning Olympic champion Merritt clearly underscored that he will be the man to beat in the 400m final.

After a conservative start over the first half, he powered toward and through the turn unchallenged and motored home to cross the line with the season’s fastest run in last night’s semi finals.

Only the top two finishers moving on by right, the racing was fierce. Cuban William Collazo looked to be a solid choice to take the second qualifying spot behind Merritt, but he was brilliantly overtaken by Trinidad & Tobago’s Renny Quow who looked very strong with his 44.53 career best. The 21-year-old, an Olympic finalist last year, brought a 44.82 best from 2008 to the line

Finishing third was Collazo whose 44.93 was also a personal best, but not fast enough to move on.

Not quite as fast as his main rival, Wariner nonetheless did put up a solid performance in the first heat. Taking a clear lead just before entering the final bend, the lanky Texan won unchallenged in 44.69.

Behind him, 23-year-old Michael Bingham of Great Britain made a significant leap, running down Frenchman Leslie Djhone down the homestretch to finish second in 44.74.

Jamaican athletes have really made their presence felt, coming out with some magnificent performances, headed by sprint king Usain Bolt. After two golds, a silver and bronze in the short sprints, the women’s high hurdles swung into action, and won gold and bronze. Brigitte Foster Hylton easily outpaced the opposition, to win virtually unchallenged in 12.51 secods.

Bolt again made it look easy, in winning the first semi-final of the 200m last night, and the only questions seem to be - how fast can he run the final in the final scheduled for later tonight.

It turned out to be a fitting farewell party for Steffi Nerius of the host nation. In what was her last championships’ final of a long career, she reached the climax winning the gold medal in the women’s javelin throw.

The 37-year-old managed that feat in front of her home crowd in Berlin. A first round throw of 67.30m was good enough for Nerius to secure the gold medal, beating defending champion Barbora Spotakova (Czech Republic / 66.42m) into second while the Olympic silver medallist Maria Abakumova (Russia / 66.06m) was third.

“I don’t know what to say. I still can’t believe it. It was my aim to enjoy this final World Championships’ competition and to make it my nicest final in my life – and I did just that,” said Nerius, who was greeted by the German chancellor Angela Merkel last evening.

BERLIN, Thursday