Jamaica extends its supremacy to sprint hurdles

Dinesh Weerawansa reporting Germany

Jamaica extended its track supremacy to sprint hurdles as well while the hosts Germany had a fruitful session on day five of the 12th IAAF World Championships continued at Olympia stadium here last night.

Brigitte Foster-Hylton rewrote world athletic history as she became the first Jamaican to take a global sprint hurdles title. In the past, Briton Linford Christie and American Gail Devers have shown age is no barrier in sports, becoming the oldest to win Olympic gold medals in their sprint events. Today, the 35-year-old from St. Elizabeth did exactly the same as she became the oldest ever winner of this title as she kept her nerve to take the gold medal in a season's best timing of 12.51 seconds.

Foster-Hylton completed the full set of medals at the championships, following her silver in 2003 and bronze in 2005 - a credential that Jamaicans can also prosper not only at the pure speed events but also the more technical disciplines too.

Canadian Priscilla Lopes-Schliep went one better than at the Olympic Games last year by taking the silver medal in 12.54 - just 0.01 clear of Foster-Hylton's countrywoman Delloreen Ennis-London, who secured her third successive World Championship 100m hurdles medal.

Derval O'Rourke set an Irish record of 12.67 for a surprising fourth place finish but there was disappointment for pre-race favourite Dawn Harper. The Olympic champion made a sluggish start and her chances of gold vanished at hurdle two, which she clipped and lost crucial momentum. From that point on she was always fighting a losing cause and the US athlete wound up seventh in 12.81.

"I have waited many years for this title, it has been six years since Paris, since I found myself in gold medal shape. I still cannot believe that I am World champion.

It is very special for me because after the Olympics I was retiring and my coach persuaded me to continue," the Jamaican gold medalist said after her triumph.

Caster Semenya captured the 800m world title to become the first ever for South Africa in the middle distance events.

The 18-year-old, who has led the world since her 1:56.72 breakout performance at the African Junior championships last month, dominated the field to reach the line unchallenged in one minute and 55.45 seconds.

Defending champion Janeth Jepkosgei of Kenya, who was near the front in the early going, found her self trapped in over the second half and couldn't conclusively break free until reaching the home straight, where Ukrainian Yuliya Krevsun was guarding the silver medal position.

When Krevsun began to fad just slightly, Olympic silver medallist Jepkosgei started furious burst for the line, as did Briton Jennifer Meadows. The trio slugged it out over the waning metres with the Kenyan prevailing by the slightest of margins in a season's best 1:57.90, with Meadows taking the silver in 1:57.93, a career best for the 28-year-old.

Bahrain won its first gold medal at these championships, thanks to the efforts of an 'adopted' Kenyan.

Yusuf Saad Kamel, who changed his Kenyan name Gregory Konchellah to run for the Middle Eastern country, broke off from a pack of ten runners to win men's 1,500m gold medal. Kamel managed to kick past and then hold off Ethiopian Deresse Mekonnen in three minutes and 35.93 seconds.

Mekonnen held on for second in 3:36.01 to take the silver, the first medal of any shade for Ethiopia in this event.

Defending champion Bernard Lagat, who was also runner-up in 2001, found himself in hot waters just off the turn, trapped on the inside lane.

But with the quickest reaction anyone in the race produced, Lagat spotted an outlet to his right, and immediately took advantage.

Moving over two lanes, the 34-year-old sped past world leader Augustine Choge to take the bronze in 3:36.20, to complete his collection of World championships medals.

The women's 200m is hotting up with Americans facing another challenge from the Jamaican camp. In what proved a straight forward task for the main contenders, Simone Facey took a comfortable heat one victory in 22.84.

Facey, who placed third in the Jamaican Championships, dominated from lane eight to finish clear of American ChaRonda Williams (23.08). The third and final automatic qualification spot was taken by French champion Johanna Danois in 23.29

American Muna Lee had disappointingly failed to qualify for the 100m final but started her 200m quest in satisfying fashion with a heat two victory in 22.76.

Fellow World Championship 100m semi-finalist Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad placed second in 23.00 with Russia's Yuliya Gushchina third in 23.07 also advancing.

Defending champion Allyson Felix of USA could not have progressed with any less fuss or for that matter effort as she returned a timing of 22.88 to tin heat three. Allyson is looking forward to become the first woman to win a hat-trick of 200m World titles.

Jamaica's Anneisha McLaughlin secured second place in heat 4 clocking 22.91 with the early leader, LaVerne Jones-Ferrette of the American Virgin Islands, fading in the latter stages, but still qualifying third in 22.97.

Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown cruised to victory in the sixth heat in 23.01. The Jamaican appeared to be operating at a lower gear, reserving her race plans for the all important final round to come.

Usain Bolt's feat of 9.58 seconds is the only world record established so far during the 12th IAAF World Championship. However, two World Championship records too have been shattered so far during the first five days of the competition.

Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele 26.46.1 in men's 10,000m while Kenyan Ezekiel Kemboi won the men's 3,000m steeple chase gold with another championship record timing of 8.00.43.

The Berlin World Championship dished out its own standards with ten athletes registering the world's leading performances this year in their respective events. In addition, two Continental Area Records and 33 National records have been erased so far.

BERLIN, Thursday