Francis takes shock 400m gold

London, August 10

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American Phyllis Francis won a surprise World Championships 400 metres gold on Wednesday as Olympics champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo inexplicably stumbled when seemingly certain of victory in an extraordinary finale. Francis looked out of the medals with 80 metres to go but maintained her form amid the carnage to post a personal best time of 49.92 seconds and take a shock gold. Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, 19, claimed a brilliant silver in 50.06s as defending champion Allyson Felix of the US faded to get bronze.

Felix looked her usual smooth self despite the sodden track and had made up the stagger on Francis, a lane outside her, by the end of the first bend. However, she did not come off the final bend with her usual authority and Miller-Uibo surged ahead into the final straight.

The title seemed secure but Bahamian Miller-Uibo, who famously dived over the line to pip Felix to the Olympics gold last year,  lost her form. Her legs seemed to stiffen, perhaps through cramp, and became entangled. 

As she virtually stopped running, the fast-finishing Francis, Naser, Felix and fourth-placed Shericka Jackson all went past. 

Felix in top club

Felix’s bronze took her World Championships medal haul to 14, matching the record of Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Merlene Ottey. Felix’s tally includes nine golds; she can make it 10 with the 4x400m relay to come.

Gong ends long wait for gold

China’s Gong Lijiao ended her long wait for a global outdoor title when she won the shot put gold medal.

The 28-old-year had won five silver and bronze medals at the World Championships and Olympics but a gold had always eluded her until a chilly, wet night in London.

Gong made light of the conditions as she broke 19 metres with five of her six attempts and won with a fifth throw of 19.94m. There were only two other throws over 19 metres — Anita Marton’s final effort of 19.49 which won silver for the Hungarian and USA’s reigning Olympics champ Michelle Carter’s third throw of 19.14 which took bronze.

Gun-to-line triumph

Norway’s Karsten Warholm announced himself as one of the sport’s brightest new powerhouses as he recorded a magnificent gun-to-line triumph to win the 400m hurdles title. The 21-year-old former decathlete demonstrated all the strength he has acquired from competing in the multi-event discipline as he led from the first hurdle and held off his pursuers on the home straight to win in 48.35 seconds. 

He beat Turkey’s European champion Yasmani Copello (48.49s), who took silver, and also spoiled Olympics champion and favourite Kerron Clement’s dream of becoming the first man to win three world titles at the discipline as the American had to settle for bronze in 48.52s. 

It was the first track victory at any World Championships by a Norwegian since Ingrid Kristiansen’s 10,000 metres triumph in Rome in 1987.

Neeraj disappoints

Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra could manage a best of 82.26m to finish a lowly seventh in qualifying Group A. Chopra, whose season’s best is 85.63, failed to secure a direct qualification for the final. With Group B qualifying yet to finish, Chopra’s chances of making it to the 12-man final seem low. G Lakshmanan bettered his personal best but it was not enough to qualify for the final of the men’s 5000m. — Agencies