Gold at last for Richards; Bolt strolls into 200m semis

Berlin - Sanya Richards got a big event gold at last when she claimed the 400 metres world title, and Usain Bolt jogged into the 200 metres semi-finals on Tuesday. Richards, 24, led the field into the home straight and never looked back en route to a winning 2009 world best 49.00 seconds. Shericka Williams of Jamaica got silver like at the 2008 Olympics in a personal best 49.32 seconds. Antonina Krivoshakpa of Russia took third place with 49.71 seconds Richards is the dominant 400m runner over the past three seasons, but failed to qualify for the 2007 worlds and then tired dramatically on the home stretch at the Olympics to finish third. The defending champion and Olympic gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu of Britain was never a factor and trailed in fifth place with 50.21 seconds. On the agenda Tuesday were four more finals: the's men's 400m hurdles, 3,000m steeplechase and triple jump, and the women's javelin. The steeplechase final took place without Moroccan Jamal Chatbi, who according to the ruling body IAAF tested positive for the anabolic steroid clenbuterol at an out-of-competition test on Saturday iin what is the first doping case in Berlin. He waived the examination of the b-sample, will be disqualified from the worlds and faces a two-year ban. Bolt, 22, shut down after little more than half of his second round race and strolled across the line with a winning 20.41 seconds. As a result, fellow-Jamaican Steve Mullings (20.23) and 2004 Olympic champion Shawn Crawford of the US (20.37) were among those with faster times into Wednesday's semi-finals. But Bolt had to conserve some energy in what was his sixth race in four days. Bolt won the 100m Sunday in a stunning world record 9.58 seconds and said he was ready to attack his world record 19.30 seconds from the 2008 Olympics in Thursday's final. 'I feel a little tired,' he said. 'I am taking it round by round, but in the final I will be running hard.' The women's 100m hurdles saw two-time reigning champion Michelle Perry eliminated. Her right knee heavily taped, Perry managed no better than seventh in her heat with 13.68 seconds and revealed a serious injury afterwards with surgery set for August 30. 'I hurt my knee at a drill in Monaco,' she said. 'I tore the LCL (lateral collateral ligament), I broke the cartiledge and have a bone contusion,' she said. Heptathlon world champion Jessica Ennis of Bitain withdrew citing exhaustion after her event, but the co-fancied Olympic medallists went safely through to Wednesday's semis. Olympic champion Dawn Harper of the US had 12.70 seconds, Australian silver medalllist Sally McLellan 12.82 and bronze medallist Priscilla Lopes-Schliep was the fastest overall with 12.56 seconds.