Miankova claims hammer gold as Olympics wait for Bolt double

Beijing - Aksana Miankova of Belarus won Olympic hammer throw gold on a Wednesday night to be highlighted by Usain Bolt's quest for a sprint double at the Beijing Games. The season-leader got the winning throw of 76.34 metres in her fifth attempt. Two-time world champion Yipsi Moreno of Cuba had to settle for silver as in 2004 with 74.40m. Zhang Wenxiu threw 74.32m in front of a happy home crowd to add Olympic bronze to the one she won at the 2007 worlds. Set for later Wednesday were the women's 400m hurdles final and the men's 200m final with Bolt. The Jamaican star won the 100m gold on Saturday with a stunning world record of 9.69 seconds and is heavily favoured to get the Olympic sprint double since Carl Lewis of the US 1984 in Los Angeles. There has also been speculation how close Bolt can come to Michael Johnson's world record 19.32 seconds from the 1996 Atlanta Games. However, Johnson was sceptical in a news conference on Wednesday. 'I don't think he'll break it here. I will be shocked if he does. To run 19.3 he's going to have to run the curve a lot better and hold his speed to the line. But then I didn't think he was going to run 9.69,' said the American legend who also owns the 400m world record. Johnson also named Bolt's 100m win 'the most impressive athletic performance I've ever seen in my life.' In preliminary action, Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia qualified handily for the 800m semi-finals along with Sudan's teenage sensation Abubaker Kaki and experienced Kenyan Wilfried Bungei, who led the way with 1:44.90 minutes. Also on the agenda were the men's 5,000m heats - without Tuesday's 1,500m champion Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain - and pole vault qualifying as well as semi-finals in the men's 110m hurdles and the women's 200m. It was revealed earlier Wednesday that heptathlon silver medallist Lyudmila Blonska of Ukraine tested positive for a steroid. She faces being stripped of the medal and a lifetime ban, having already served a two-year suspension 2003-2005 for steroid abuse. Blonska finished second at the Olympic heptathlon on Friday and Saturday behind compatriot Natalya Dobrynska. American champion Hyleas Fountain was third in the heptathlon and Tatiana Chernova of Russia fourth as both could be bumped up to silver and bronze, respectively. A ruling by the International Olympic Committee was expected on Thursday.