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 Like Bolt in the men's final on Sunday, the 28-year-old returned to
the scene of her breakthrough triumph at the Beijing Olympics and
secured a fifth title in the last six blue riband sprints at the
Olympics and world championships.
With dyed green braids flowing behind her and yellow flowers framing
her face, Fraser-Pryce powered down the track to victory in 10.76
seconds, beating fast-finishing Dutchwoman Dafne Schippers by five
hundredths of a second.
Her determination for improvement is such, however, that mere
victory was not enough and she was immediately plotting her entry
into the exclusive club of women who have run under 10.7 seconds --
currently headed by world record holder Florence Griffith-Joyner.
"I am happy and proud to defend my third title in a row," she said,
adding that she would not defend her 200 meters title in Beijing.
"I think 10.60 is there. Hopefully in my next race I'll get it
together. I just trust in God and I work hard, and focus on
executing. I don't focus on just winning but on executing."
Former heptathlete Schippers ran a Dutch record of 10.81 to become
the first European to win a medal in the 100 meters at a world
championships since France's Christine Arron a decade ago.
"It’s crazy," she said after pushing American Tori Bowie into third
place. "My start was good, I thought I was close enough to medal.
Wow."
If the Jamaicans have dominated the sprints in the seven years since
Beijing hosted the Olympics, Kenya has been a force in middle and
long distance running for far longer.
Ezekiel Kemboi underlined his status as one of the greatest athletes
to have emerged from the country when he ran a sub-57 second final
lap to lead a Kenyan podium sweep and claim the 3,000m steeplechase
crown for a record fourth time.
Kemboi, who clocked eight minutes 11.28 seconds, added the title to
those he won in 2009, 2011 and 2013 and to the Olympic gold he
landed in 2004 and 2012.
COLOMBIAN VICTORY
"On the last lap nobody could follow me," he said. "My next big goal
of course are the Rio Olympic Games."
Kemboi's victory came soon after his compatriot Vivian Cheruiyot had
shown a considerable kick of her own over the final 400 meters to
win her second 10,000 meters world title after her long distance
double at the 2011 championships.
The victory was particularly precious, she said, as it came with her
still on the comeback trail after skipping the 2014 season to have a
child.
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"I dedicate this medal to my son," she said. "I am not going to
double here, this is it."
Another dominant athlete who brought a little color to the evening
was Colombian triple jumper Caterine Ibarguen, who has not been
defeated in 29 competitions since she won silver at the 2012 London
Olympics.
Her fifth-round effort of 14.90 meters secured a second successive
world championship gold medal and she celebrated with a sombrero on
her head.
"It gives me big joy to make my country happy," she said. "I love
triple jump."
Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko won Israel's first women's world
championship medal in second place, while Olympic champion Olga
Rypakova, another new mum, took bronze.
Olympic champion and world record holder Renaud Lavillenie has been
dominant in the pole vault over the last few years but he will leave
the world championships for the fourth time without the gold
medal.Canada's Shawn Barber nailed his first four jumps to win the
title with a leap of 5.90 meters, a height Lavillenie failed to
clear in three attempts
The Frenchman will take home a fourth bronze medal after sharing
third place with Poles Piotr Lisek and Pawel Wojciechowski behind
defending champion Raphael Holzdeppe.
"I was in good shape and I don't really know what went wrong," he
said. "5.90 meters usually is not difficult for me. But it happens
to everyone... Pole vault is like this. You never know."
Lavillenie was not the only Olympic champion to have a disappointing
day with Trinidadian Keshorn Walcott failing to get through
qualifying in the javelin.
(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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