Bershawn Jackson lived up to his nickname of 'Batman' here on Tuesday as he flew past his rivals to take the 400 metres hurdles title at the world athletics championships.
The 22-year-old declared afterwards he would like to become the heir to the greatest athlete in the event's history Ed Moses, who was on hand to greet him, but another Moses of the biblical variety would have been better employed earlier.
The heavens opened and produced such a deluge that the championships were halted for almost two hours.
Appropriately enough it was at the water jump on the last lap of the 3,000m steeplechase where Qatar's Saif Saaeed Shaheen made his decisive break from his former Kenyan compatriot Ezekiel Kemboi to easily retain his title.
While Jackson announced himself as the new kid on the block, two years after being disqualified in the first round of the last championships, two champions lost their crowns.
Defending 400 metres hurdles champion Felix Sanchez pulled up clutching his right hamstring in the final but there is no doubt the 27-year-old will be back.
Having gone against doctor's advice to race here - he has a broken bone in his right foot - the Olympic champion did well to even get to the final.
However, Maria Mutola's fourth place in the 800m final may have signified the end of the road for the three-time world champion, who now has just the Commonwealth Games crown to defend after losing her Olympic title last year. The 32-year-old Mozambiquean saw her world title go to the 25-year-old Cuban Yulia Catalayud, who in two successive Olympic finals had not been in the same class as her beaten rival.
For Jackson, though, it was a case of at last coming of age, though, at 22 and only three years out of high school it seems a bit premature. "I am now a great athlete. Last year I had a lot of technical problems but they've been resolved," said Jackson, who always competes in a headband inscribed 'Richard Jackson RIP', in honour of the uncle who inspired him to take up the event.
For Shaheen, victory was some consolation for having missed out on the Olympics last year when the Kenyan National Olympic Committee forbade him to race with the Africans still raging over his switch of allegiance to Qatar.
WOMEN'S 200m 1ST ROUND:
=====================================
Heat 1
(wind: -2.5m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. Cydonie Mothersill (CAY) 23.72 Q
2. Latasha Colander (USA) 23.89 Q
3. LaVerne Jones (VIR) 24.12 Q
-------------------------------------
Heat 2
(wind: -1.1m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. Yuliya Gushchina (RUS) 22.53 Q
2. Allyson Felix (USA) 22.68 Q
3. Kim Gevaert (BEL) 22.78 Q
4. Natalya Sologub (BLR) 23.16 q
5. Maryna Maydanova (UKR) 23.31 q
-------------------------------------
Heat 3
(wind: -3.2m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. Fabienne Feraez (BEN) 23.72 Q
2. Irina Khabarova (RUS) 23.78 Q
3. Rachelle Boone (USA) 23.78 Q
-------------------------------------
Heat 4
(wind: +0.3m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. Christine Arron (FRA) 22.89 Q
2. Veronica Campbell (JAM) 23.28 Q
3. Lucimar Aparecida De
Moura (BRA) 23.36 Q
4. Geraldine Pillay (RSA) 23.58 q
5. Alenka Bikar (SLO) 23.77 q
=====================================
Men's 110m hurdles heats
NOTE: In heats, Q = qualified by right for semi-finals, q = qualified as fastest loser
=====================================
Men's 110m hurdles (1st Round):
Heat 1
(wind: -5.1m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. Thomas Blaschek (GER) 13.86 Q
2. Allen Johnson (USA) 13.92 Q
3. Yoel Hernandez (CUB) 14.03 Q
-------------------------------------
Heat 2
(wind: -0.3m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. Liu Xiang (CHN) 13.73 Q
2. Redelen Santos (BRA) 13.74 Q
3. Jonathan Nsenga (BEL) 13.89 Q
4. Anier Garcia (CUB) 14.01 q
5. Elmar Lichtenegger (AUT) 14.04 q
-------------------------------------
Heat 3
(wind: -3.4m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. Ladji Doucoure (FRA) 13.86 Q
2. Mateus Facho Inocêncio(BRA)13.96 Q
3. Chris Pinnock (JAM) 14.11 Q
-------------------------------------
Heat 4
(wind: -1.1m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. Shi Dongpeng (CHN) 13.80 Q
2. Terrence Trammell (USA) 13.80 Q
3. Igor Peremota (RUS) 13.89 Q
4. Robert Kronberg (SWE) 13.90 q
5. Masato Naito (JPN) 13.90 q
-------------------------------------
Heat 5
(wind: -2.8m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. Anselmo Gomes da Silva(BRA)13.96 Q
2. Dominique Arnold (USA) 13.96 Q
3. Marcel Van De Westen (NED) 14.01 Q
-------------------------------------
Heat 6
(wind: -1.8m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. Dayron Robles (CUB) 13.83 Q
2. Stanislavs Olijars (LAT) 13.86 Q
3. Joel Brown (USA) 13.90 Q
4. Maurice Wignall (JAM) 13.90 q
5. Dudley Dorival (HAI) 14.02 q
=====================================
Men's Triple jump qualifiers
(Q = reached qualifying distance, q = next best qualified)
MEN'S TRIPLE JUMP PRELIMINARY ROUND:
=====================================
Pool 1
-------------------------------------
1. Yoandri Betanzos (CUB) 17.40 m Q
2. Leevan Sands (BAH) 17.21Q
3. Walter Davis (USA) 17.08Q
4. Marian Oprea (ROM) 16.81q
5. Anders Mller (DEN) 16.69q
6. Dmitriy Valyukevich (SVK) 16.68q
7. Karl Taillepierre (FRA) 16.67q
8. Vyktor Yastrebov (UKR) 16.66q
-------------------------------------
Pool 2
-------------------------------------
1. Jadel Gregório (BRA) 17.20 m Q
2. Momchil Karailiev (BUL) 16.73q
3. Kenta Bell (USA) 16.72q
4. David Giralt (CUB) 16.71q
=====================================
Women's 400m hurdles heats
NOTE: In heats, Q = qualified by right for semi-finals, q = qualified as fastest loser
WOMEN'S 400Mm HURDLES 1ST ROUND:
=====================================
Heat 1
-------------------------------------
1. Yuliya Nosova (RUS) 53.77 Q
2. Malgorzata Pskit (POL) 55.72 Q
3. Hristína Hantzí-Neag (GRE) 56.15 Q
4. Andrea Blackett (BAR) 56.32 Q
5. Claudia Marx (GER) 56.60 q
6. Nicola Sanders (GBR) 56.83 q
-------------------------------------
Heat 2
-------------------------------------
1. Anna Olichwierczuk (POL) 55.79 Q
2. Benedetta Ceccarelli (ITA) 56.00 Q
3. Louise Gundert (SWE) 56.53 Q
4. Tawa Dortch (CAN) 56.54 Q
5. Shevon Stoddart (JAM) 56.55 q
-------------------------------------
Heat 3
-------------------------------------
1. Sandra Glover (USA) 55.31 Q
2. Surita Febbraio (RSA) 55.89 Q
3. Marta Chrust (POL) 56.35 Q
4. Zuzana Hejnova (CZE) 56.86 Q
5. Cora Olivero (ESP) 56.96 q
-------------------------------------
Heat 4
-------------------------------------
1. Lashinda Demus (USA) 56.63 Q
2. Marjolein De Jong (NED) 56.95 Q
3. Oksana Gulumyan (RUS) 57.21 Q
4. Debbie-ann Parris (JAM) 58.27 Q
-------------------------------------
Heat 5
-------------------------------------
1. Tetyana Tereshchuk-Antipova
(UKR) 56.16 Q
2. Huang Xiaoxiao (CHN) 56.56 Q
3. Monika Niederstatter (ITA) 57.18 Q
4. Shauna Smith (USA) 58.33 Q
=====================================
Men's 200m quarter-finals
In quarter-finals, Q = qualified by right for semi-finals, q =
qualified as fastest loser
MEN'S 200m QUARTER FINAL:
=====================================
Heat 1
(wind: +2.0m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. Tobias Unger (GER) 20.91 Q
2. Wallace Spearmon (USA) 20.91 Q
3. Patrick Johnson (AUS) 20.94 Q
-------------------------------------
Heat 2
(wind: -1.1m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. Tyson Gay (USA) 20.64 Q
2. Stephane Buckland (MRI) 20.66 Q
3. Jaysuma Saidy Ndure (GAM) 20.95 Q
4. Marcin Jedrusinski (POL) 21.07 q
-------------------------------------
Heat 3
(wind: -3.7m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. John Capel (USA) 20.78 Q
2. Usain Bolt (JAM) 20.87 Q
3. Aaron Armstrong (TRI) 20.94 Q
4. Christian Malcolm (GBR) 21.02 q
5. Shingo Suetsugu (JPN) 21.11 q
-------------------------------------
Heat 4
(wind: -1.9m/s)
-------------------------------------
1. Christopher Williams (JAM) 20.93 Q
2. Justin Gatlin (USA) 20.94 Q
3. Marlon Devonish (GBR) 20.95 Q
4. Daniel Batman (AUS) 20.95 q
=====================================
p/Women's Hammer qualifying
(Q = reached qualifying distance, q = next best qualified)
WOMEN'S HAMMER PRELIMINARY ROUND:
=====================================
Pool 1
-------------------------------------
1. Yipsi Moreno (CUB) 72.67 m Q
2. Tatyana Lysenko (RUS) 71.14Q
3. Kamila Skolimowska (POL) 70.28Q
4. Mihaela Melinte (ROM) 68.31q
5. Clarissa Claretti (ITA) 68.21q
6. Zhang Wenxiu (CHN) 66.73q
-------------------------------------
Pool 2
-------------------------------------
1. Olga Kuzenkova (RUS) 71.97 m Q
2. Manuela Montebrun (FRA) 71.63Q
3. Iryna Sekachova (UKR) 68.55q
4. Susanne Keil (GER) 67.82q
5. Erin Gilreath (USA) 67.41q
6. Candice Scott (TRI) 66.85q
=====================================
MEDALS TABLE:
HELSINKI: World Athletics Championships medals table after Tuesdays events here:
=====================================
G S B T
-------------------------------------
United States 4 2 0 6
Ethiopia 2 2 1 5
Sweden 2 0 1 3
Belarus 1 2 0 3
Jamaica 1 2 0 3
Russia 1 1 2 4
Cuba 1 1 0 2
Ecuador 1 0 0 1
Lithuania 1 0 0 1
Qatar 1 0 0 1
Uganda 1 0 0 1
Kenya 0 1 3 4
Spain 0 1 1 2
France 0 1 1 2
Estonia 0 1 0 1
Morocco 0 1 0 1
Netherlands 0 1 0 1
Germany 0 0 2 2
Ghana 0 0 1 1
Japan 0 0 1 1
Poland 0 0 1 1
Portugal 0 0 1 1
St Kitts and Nevis 0 0 1 1
=====================================
TODAY'S SCHEDULE
HELSINKI: Thursday's schedule at the world athletics championship, the sixth day of the 2005 showpiece (Times GMT):
Afternoon/Evening session
1530 M 5000 Metres - heats
1535 M Pole Vault - final
1545 M Javelin Throw Wheelchair - final 1625 W 200 Metres - semi-final 1650 W 400 Metres Hurdles - semi-final
1700 M Triple Jump - final
1720 M 800 Metres - heats
1820 W 100 Metres Hurdles - final
1840 M 110 Metres Hurdles - semi-final
1910 M 200 Metres - final
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