PIX: Fraser-Pryce leads Jamaican sweep in women’s 100m

Images from the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Sunday, Day 3.

IMAGE: Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce celebrates winning the women’s 100 metres final alongside teammates Shericka Jackson (silver) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (bronze) at the World Athletics Championships, at Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon, on Sunday. Photograph: Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce claimed an astonishing fifth world 100 metres title on Sunday when she clocked 10.67 seconds to edge Shericka Jackson and Elaine Thompson-Herah in a brilliant Jamaican clean sweep.

Fraser-Pryce got her usual superb start and held her form as fast-finishing Jackson clocked a personal best 10.73 for silver and Thompson-Herah took bronze with 10.81.

No nation had completed a medal sweep in the women’s 100m at the worlds, though Jamaica did it at last year’s Olympics via the same three athletes – and also in 2008.

Fraser-Pryce now has five 100m world titles and two Olympic 100m golds and at 35 shows absolutely no signs of slowing down as Sunday’s time was the fastest winning time of all those seven global victories.

Thompson-Herah, who has won back to back Olympic sprint doubles and is second-fastest on the all-time list behind only Florence Griffith-Joyner, is still without an individual world title.

Dina Asher-Smith, silver medallist in 2019, matched her British record of 10.83 in lane eight for fourth.

Holloway retains 110m hurdles title

IMAGE: Grant Holloway of the United States glides over the last obstacle before winning the men’s 110m hurdles final. Photograph: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

American Grant Holloway successfully defended his 110 metres hurdles world title on Sunday after Jamaica’s Olympic champion Hansle Parchment injured himself in the warmup and world leader Devon Allen was disqualified for a false start.

Holloway opened up an early lead and came home in 13.03 seconds, ahead of compatriot Trey Cunningham and Spain’s Asier Martinez.

Tokyo silver medallist Holloway stretched his arms wide to wild applause at the finish line, delivering the United States’ second track gold in Eugene, Oregon, a day after Fred Kerley won the 100 metres.

Allen, who produced the third-fastest time in the event in June, left the blocks one thousandth of a second early.

He made numerous appeals to officials but was rebuffed, prompting a chorus of boos from the home crowd as he was removed from the track.

Cheptegei retains World 10,000 title, eyes distance double

IMAGE: Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei celebrates after winning the men’s 10,000 metres final. Photograph: Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters

Uganda’s World record holder Joshua Cheptegei showed he had learned his Olympic lesson as he delivered a tactical masterclass to win a second successive world 10,000 metres gold in a superb race.

Last year in Tokyo Cheptegei kept his powder dry until the bell, only to be outkicked by Selemon Barega. On Sunday he started upping the ante with over a kilometre to go, throwing in laps of 64 and 63 seconds to stretch a group of eight as they hit the bell.

He then continued to press and though there was a mad scramble behind him that had the healthy Hayward Field crowd roaring in appreciation, he was strong enough to hold the field off and come home in 27:27.43 seconds.

IMAGE: Joshua Cheptegei celebrates as he crosses the line to win the men’s 10,000 metres final. Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

Kenya’s Stanley Mburu, who took a heavy fall on the first lap, recovered well to finish second in 27:27.90. Jacob Kiplimo, 21, who was third in Tokyo, claimed another bronze for Uganda in 27:27.97.

“I knew that if I get into the last fight, I can control it and I could speed it up,” said Cheptegei, still only 25 but who made his world championship debut back in 2015.

“I did not aim to run really fast because of the heat, the sun was very strong, but I was able to get stronger and keep it faster and faster.”

Fast-finishing Grant Fisher just ran out of track in his bid to win a first medal in the event for the United States, finishing fourth, with Ethiopia’s Olympic champion Barega unable to repeat his Tokyo fireworks as he ended up fifth.

Cheptegei, who also took a silver in the event in 2017 and who won Olympic gold over 5,000m last year, will now attempt the elusive double when going again over 5,000 later in the week in Eugene.

“It was very emotional for me to come back to the USA where I started my international career in 2014 (winning the world junior 10,000m title in Eugene),” he said. “Now, I want to continue my dominancy in the long distance running and I hope I will manage it.”

Ethiopa’s Tola takes dominant marathon gold

IMAGE: Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola celebrates winning the men’s marathon and setting a new World Championship record. Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola won the World Championship men’s marathon in dominant fashion on Sunday as he forged powerfully clear around 34km to come home more than a minute ahead to take gold in a championship record two hours, 05.37 minutes.

Taking advantage of relatively cool conditions afforded by the 6.15 am local start time, the 2017 silver medallist splintered the pack with a sustained acceleration and by 39km he was safely 46 seconds clear and continued to press all the way home.

Over a minute back in 2:06.44, Mosinet Geremew made it an Ethiopian 1-2 for the second World Championship in a row with his second successive silver. Belgium’s Somalia-born Bashir Abdi matched his bronze from the Tokyo Olympics in 2:06.48, taking his country’s first medal in the event for men or women.

All three men were inside Abel Kirui’s 2003 championship record of 2:06.54 in Paris, though championship marathon time comparisons bear little scrutiny due to course differences.

IMAGE: Tamirat Tola celebrates before crossing the line. Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

The early pace was brisk, but manageable, keeping a pack of over 30 together at halfway, but Ethiopian defending champion Lelisa Desisa wasn’t one of them as he fell off the back and eventually dropped out.

American favourite and former University of Oregon runner Galen Rupp was next to slip back, much to the disappointment of the fans lining the three-lap course, which was also livened up by large numbers on bikes accompanying the runners.

Tola, 30, made what turned out to be the decisive move soon after, escaping solo to almost immediately open a 12-second gap at 35km and splintering the pack on the back of a 2.44 minute kilometre.

From then on, looking relaxed throughout, he steadily built the lead as the chasing group was reduced to three.

He waved to the crowd over the last few hundred metres, enjoying the biggest win of his career.

“It was a dream come true,” Tola said. “I learned from my mistake in 2017 (World Championships) and I made sure it did not happen again.”

Geremew broke clear for second and Abdi was just behind him. Canada’s Cameron Levins delivered a late surge to take fourth in a national record of 2:07.09, with Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor, back racing after suffering a badly broken leg after being hit by a motorbike during a training run in 2020, finishing fifth.

Andersen crushes women’s hammer field for gold

IMAGE: Brooke Andersen of the United States in action during the women’s hammer throw final. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

American Brooke Andersen secured a crushing victory in the hammer throw on Sunday, taking World Championship gold with a throw of 78.96 metres.

Cool and calm Camryn Rogers briefly had the lead after her best attempt of 75.52 metres in the third round but Andersen trounced her on the fourth throw with 77.42 metres, forcing the Canadian down to the second spot on the podium.

Andersen kept the gold even further out of reach as she threw 77.56 on her fifth try and let out a cry as she beat that effort with her final throw to cheers from the home crowd, as compatriot Janee Kassanavoid finished third.

“It hasn’t really quite set in yet. I was looking out across the field and I thought to myself, I’m a world champion,” said Andersen.

Four-times world champion and three times Olympic gold medallist Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland was out with injury, while reigning champion DeAnna Price of the United States opted out after a COVID-19 infection derailed her preparations, leaving a wide open path to the podium.

IMAGE: Gold medallist Brooke Andersen of the United States celebrates after winning the women’s hammer throw final alongside silver medallist Camryn Rogers of Canada and bronze medallist Janee’ Kassanavoid of the US. Photograph: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

It was the first time that Poland has not won a women’s hammer medal at the worlds since 2011.

“I’m just very fortunate to have the competition I did have,” said Andersen.

“I knew if I stayed in it and focused on the little things I could control and hopefully the performance would get better and be a gold medal.”

It was the second field triumph for the United States in Eugene, Oregon, after Chase Ealey collected the Americans’ first women’s world shot put title in spectacular fashion on Saturday.

While she was unable to improve on her second attempt of 74.86, Kassanavoid said she was proud to round out the North American podium triple and add to the United States’ medal count.

“We’re doing great as a team. I’m super happy and super proud of everyone,” Kassanavoid told reporters. “We’re working extremely hard.”

Rogers claimed Canada’s first world hammer medal and the 23-year-old said she gained energy off the support of the crowd.

“Being able to bring home this medal for Canada means the world to me,” she said. “I know this isn’t the end of the journey.”

Nageotte wins pole vault gold for the US

IMAGE: Katie Nageotte of the United States in action during the women’s pole vault. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

Olympic champion Katie Nageotte won the United States’ first women’s pole vault gold at the World Championships in more than two decades on Sunday, with compatriot Sandi Morris taking silver and Australian Nina Kennedy the bronze.

Nageotte cleared 4.85 metres on her first attempt to win her first medal at the worlds, while Morris had to settle for a third straight silver after clearing the same height but on her second attempt.

The last American to win gold in the event was Stacy Dragila at the 2011 Edmonton worlds.

It was the third straight gold for the American women in the field events in Eugene, Oregon, after Chase Ealey won the shot put and Brooke Andersen triumphed in the hammer throw.