DPA/Beijing
Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands stormed to 200 metres gold at the World Championships and number three in the all-time list yesterday which also saw the first golds for present and past hosts China and Russia.
Four days after a 100m silver, the former heptathlete Schippers took a staggering four tenths off her personal best for gold in 21.63 seconds, a European record and the best time in 17 years. Only Americans Florence Griffith Joyner (21.34) and Marion Jones (21.62) have run faster than Schippers.
“When I looked and saw the time, I thought the clock was broken,” Schippers said. “Coming here I hoped for the gold medal and to go below 22 seconds. I did it both and I can’t believe it. What a race!”
Liu Hong gave China the first gold at last when she beat team-mate Lu Xiuzhi for first place in the 20km race walk, and Russia also got a badly needed boost from 110m hurdles gold by Sergey Shubenkov.
American season leader Tianna Bartoletta stole long jump gold on her last attempt, and Jamaica’s Danielle Willians won 100m hurdles gold.
Schippers was trailing after the bend but produced an amazing finish as she sneaked ahead of Jamaican Elaine Thompson right on the line.
Thompson took silver in a personal best 21.67 to go fifth all-time, and compatriot, and former champion, Veronica Campbell-Brown on bronze with 21.97 seconds. “I stayed relaxed in the last 30, 40 metres and that’s why I won, I think,” Schippers said.
Thompson just said: “Wow, wow, wow! I cannot complain about silver. I fought to keep Schippers away but could not run faster than I did.”
Schippers is the first 200m champion from Europe since Russia’s Anastasiya Kapachinskaya was declared 2003 winner after American Kelli White was disqualified for doping. She now has a full set of medals at the Worlds as apart from the sprints she also has a heptathlon bronze from 2013.
Liu won the morning walk from Lu, and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Olyanovska, and returned in the evening for the victory in front of the ecstatic fans—pulling out her smartphone after the anthem for a selfie on the podium with the other two after the memorable moment.
Liu got China’s first gold of the Beijing championships and their haul is now 1-4-1. She won her first world title after two bronze and a silver at previous editions.
“I felt a lot of pressure. China hadn’t won a gold medal yet at the championships and everybody was waiting for it,” said the 28-year-old Liu.
The walk took place without Russian athletes who had ruled the event since 2001 but are bogged down by positive doping tests and doping allegations.
The allegations have hurt the Russian team in general but Shubenkov at least restored a little pride for the top ranked nation from the 2013 home worlds in Moscow with their first gold and second medal overall. Shubenkov dipped below 13 seconds for the first time in his career for a national record 12.98 seconds as he fought off a strong finish from Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment and American Olympic champion Aries Merritt.
Parchment took silver in 13.03 seconds and the sentimental favourite Merritt, due to undergo a kidney transplant Tuesday, bronze with 13.04. American holder David Oliver hit a hurdle hard early on and had to settle for seventh.
Bartoletta denied Britain a long jump men’s and women’s double when she soared 7.14m in her final attempt to snatch the gold from Shara Procter for a second title following 2005. Proctor had a national record 7.07m. Ivana Spanova got bronze in a Serbian record 7.01m.
Williams grabbed hurdles gold in a personal best 12.57 from German Cindy Roleder (12.59) and Alina Talay of Belarus (12.66).
World and Olympic champion Ashton Eaton of the US ran the fastest ever 400 metres in a decathlon, 45.00 seconds, for the overnight lead with 4,703 points from Canada’s Damian Warner (4,530) and German Roco Freimuth (4,406). Former champion Trey Hardee of the US retired injured.
The decathlon medals are decided Saturday and there also seven other medal events: the men’s 4x100m, 5,000m, 50km walk and discus; and the women’s 4x100m, 800m and high jump.
