Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce celebrates after winning the women’s 100m final at the 14th IAAF World Championships at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, yesterday. INSET: Winner Valerie Adams of New Zealand reacts on the podium at the victory ceremony for the women’s shot put final.
MOSCOW: Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce held nothing back in producing a stunning performance to snatch a second women’s world 100m title yesterday.
The diminutive double Olympic gold medallist and 2009 world champion showed all her big-day experience by making up for a sluggish start with a dynamic drive section that saw her race clear of the field by 30 metres.
The 1.52m-tall (5”0’) Jamaican, whose team-mate Usain Bolt won the men’s blue riband event on Sunday, then kept her solid running style through the finish line for an imposing victory in the season’s fastest time of 10.71sec.
“I had my obstacles - I was starting to feel pain under my left butt cheek,” said Fraser-Pryce, whose victory is a massive boost for a Jamaican team hit by doping bans to sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown and Asafa Powell.
“I am surrounded by great people. I came here and did my best and actually won. It was really hurting but I knew what I worked for.”
There was a first-ever African medal in the world sprints for Ivorian silver medallist Murielle Ahoure (10.93), while defending champion Carmelita Jeter of the United States took bronze (10.94).
Jeter just beat out team-mate English Gardner (10.97), with Jamaica’s Kerron Stewart fifth in a photo finish, the seven-time medallist in worlds and Olympics including a 4x100m relay gold in Berlin in 2009 unable to recover from an awful start.
With Veronica Campbell-Brown ruled out of the championships because of a doping infringement, Fraser-Pryce had been left as the country’s main contender for gold in the blue riband event.
Bronze for Jeter, 33, was bittersweet, as her medalling tied her with Jamaican sprint legend Merlene Ottey’s record of being a four-time world 100m medallist.
New Zealand’s Valerie Adams won a record fourth women’s shot put world title.
The 28-year-old two-time Olympic champion threw a best of 20.88 metres while Germany’s Christina Schwanitz took silver with a personal best of 20.41m.
China’s Olympic bronze medalist Gong Lijiao had to settle for third again at a major championships with 19.95m. Adams, who only got promoted to Olympic champion last year after the original winner, Belarusian Nadezhda Ostapchuk, was stripped of the title for doping, was never behind, setting a high standard with her first effort of 20.41m.
Gong was in silver position until Schwanitz gave it her all in the sixth and final round, which also pushed American Michelle Carter out of the medals and into fourth.
Britain’s Christine Ohuruogu snatched victory from defending champion Amantle Montsho with a desperate lunge to the line in the women’s 400 metres
Ohuruogu, world champion in 2007, has a reputation as a big race performer and did not disappoint the British fans noisily screaming her on in the half-empty Luzhniki Stadium, winning in a time of 49.41 seconds.
Botswana’s Montsho will despair the fact she did not dip at the end after being given the same time in second with Russian Antonina Krivoshapka taking bronze in 49.78.
Ohuruogu, notorious for leaving it late in races, was fourth coming off the final bend but charged down the home straight to catch Montsho on the line.
German tyro Raphael Holzdeppe rained on Renaud Lavillenie’s pole vault parade by claiming a shock gold ahead of the favoured Frenchman.
The 23-year-old German, a bronze medallist at last year’s London Olympics where Lavillenie won gold, kept his nerve as Lavillenie had three attempts at 5.96 metres that would have ensured his continuation in the event.
David Oliver of the United States won his first major title, claiming the 110 metres hurdles crown in Moscow.
The 31-year-old 2008 Olympic bronze medalist posted the fastest time of the year, 13.00sec, while compatriot Ryan Wilson took silver with 13.13sec and Russian Sergey Shubenkov won the bronze in 13.24sec.
Elsewhere, Poland’s Pawel Fadjek won the men’s hammer title.
Hungary’s Olympic champion Krisztian Pars took the silver (80.30m) while Lukas Melich opf the Czech Republic won the bronze (79.36m). AGENCIES
