Gay gets double, Saladine wins long jump thriller

By John Bagratuni Aug 30, 2007, 18:03 GMT

Tyson Gay of the USA celebrates after winning the 200m final at the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Osaka, Japan, 30 August 2007. EPA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA

Osaka, Japan - Tyson Gay showed he is the man to beat at the Beijing Olympics next year after he completed a sprint world title double on Thursday with the 200m crown.

Gay, 25, came out of the bend pretty much level with Jamaican Usain Bolt but then managed to pull away on the home stretch to win. in a championship record 19.76 seconds.

Gay is only the third sprinter at the 11th worlds to get a double, the others being fellow-Americans Maurice Greene in 1999 and Justin Gatlin, now suspended for doping, in 2005.

'It feels so great but I am tired. Maurice Greene is one of my idols and I am proud to do the double like him. Usain Bolt came out so fast and I had to work hard to catch him,' said Gay.

Australian supermum Jana Rawlinson got her second 400m hurdles title, Irving Saladine had nerves like still to got the first ever worlds gold for Panama in a long jump thriller, and German Betty Heidler dominated the women's hammer throw.

But the day belonged to Gay, who is now the latest American sprint star and can even get a treble with the sprint relay on Saturday.

'I have two golds and I want the third in relay,' he said.

Like in the 100, Gay turned on the style in the second half of the race as he denied Bolt a comeback. Bolt clocked 19.91 for silver and Wallace Spearmon added bronze in 20.05 seconds to silver from 2005.

'I tried hard, but for the moment he is unbeatable. I m proud of myself to get the silver for Jamaica. Hey, I'm one of the best in the world, that is not small. I had a good start, good first 100m, then I was really trying hard, but he was better,' said Bolt.

Bolt vowed that he will be out to beat Gay next year at the Olympics.

The long jump did not produce a world record like the last time the worlds were held in Japan when Mike Powell soared 8.95m to beat Carl Lewis in an epic duel 1991 in Tokyo.

But it was almost better for drama.

Saladino lost his long-time lead of 8.46m in the long jump when European champion Andrew Howe of Italy soared a personal best 8.47m in his final attempt and threw a fit of delight.

Undeterred by being delayed by a victory ceremony, Saladino kept his cool in the very last jump of the competition and soared a personal best 8.57m for victory after all.

Howe could only applaud the great response and settle for silver. The two-time defending world champion and 2004 Olympic champion Dwight Philipps of the US got bronze with 8.30m.

'I was sure to win the gold medal until Andrew Howe did his last jump. Before my last jump I told myself 'You are the best in the world, so go for the gold medal. You have to outdo yourself in this jump for the gold.' And this is what I did,' said Saladino.

Howe said: 'I really thought I got it, I got it, I got it. But you never know until the end and Saladino put out a great job.'

Rawlinson, who won her first title under her maiden name Pittman in 2003, prevailed in a 2007 world leading 53.31 seconds over defending champion and world record holder Yuliya Pechonkina, who suffered her first season defeat to finish second like in 2001 in 53.50 seconds. Anna Jesien took bronze for Poland in 53.92 seconds.

Rawlinson was the youngest champion in the discipline at age 20 in 2003. She missed the 2005 worlds, married former British hurdler Chris Rawlinson, her coach, and gave birth to son Cornelis last year.

'Today's victory is sensational. There is some truth about them saying that mummies come back strong - as a mummy you can do anything - there was three of us in the final today,' said Rawlinson.

Heidler got her first big hammer throw title with 74.76m by edging out the 2001 and 2003 champion Yipsi Moreno, who had 74.74 and got silver like at the 2004 Olympics and 2005 worlds. Asian champion Wenxiu Zhang got China's first medal in Osaka, a bronze in 74.39m.

'After Yipsi's last throw I thought for a tiny moment 'Oh, I am only second now.' But then, with the official result, I was relieved,' said Heidler.

A gold looms for China on Friday after the nation's superstar, the 110m hurdles world record holder and Olympic champion Liu Xiang, handily advanced with 13.25 seconds.

American Terrence Trammell, seeking his first big title after silvers at the last two Olympics and 203 worlds, also progressed, while defending champ Ladji Doucoure crashed out.

Defending champion Allyson Felix of the US and 100m champion Veronica Campbell of Jamaica were untroubled in the 800m semis, Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain qualified for the 800m semis and 1,500m champion Bernard Lagat of the US advanced in the 5,000m.

The world championships continue Friday with the men's 110m hurdles and 400m, and the women's 200m, 20km walk, javelin and triple jump.