ATHLETICS/World Championships:We came to the Nagai Stadium anticipating a world record. We did not get it, yet we witnessed one of the great exhibitions of sprinting. As expected Jeremy Wariner, Allyson Felix and Xiang Liu leave Osaka with gold in their pockets, though for Liu it may feel a little heavier given the pressure it will surely bring going into next year's Olympics in his native China.
Wariner was the one under pressure here, having been built up as the world-record contender at 400 metres, and when the 23-year-old American showed up wearing shiny golden spikes he clearly felt he was on for it.
The last man with the nerve to wear such spikes was Michael Johnson, holder of the record (43.18 seconds) Wariner was chasing. But then they already have much in common, including a coach and a polite Texan drawl.
Johnson used the expression "over in the home straight" and Wariner also enjoys that tactic, coming off the final bend in complete control - his final 100 metres then all about chasing the 43.18. The clock stopped at 43.45, short of the record but another personal best and third-fastest ever after Johnson and the former record holder Butch Reynolds, who ran 43.29.
"The world record, it will come when it should come," saidWariner. "Today still means a lot to me . . . I'm fulfilling step by step all my goals. Next year it is to defend my Olympic title."
Wariner also fronted a first ever sweep of US medals in the World Championship 400m; LaShawn Merritt took silver in a best of 43.93, and Angelo Taylor - a former gold medallist at 400m hurdles - took bronze in 44.32.
In this form they'll only have to show up to take relay gold.
There is something undeniably impressive about Wariner, mostly his incredible fluidity and efficiency. He finishes with the look of a man who could continue for another lap, and if some promoter were to tempt him into an 800-metre race it would be fascinating to watch.
For all his fluency, however, Wariner was not the smoothest runner on the night; that was his US compatriot Felix, who at the tender age of 21 retained her 200-metre title.
Her 21.81 clocking was the fastest in eight years.
She's a model of running grace, all legs like a gazelle, a real star of world athletics. She was the most successful teenage sprinter of all time and has the potential to become the most successful senior, especially if he trims her long, hair back, which must surely slow her a little.
"I have been waiting for so long to run . . . under 22 seconds," she said, when of course it hasn't really been that long.
"Running so fast feels great. But it was not really that easy. My next goal is not the world record, but a gold in Beijing.
"I want to take it step by step. And I might consider doing both the 200 and the 400. But even if I run the 400 metres more often, I would never give up the 200 metres."
And that's the scary thing - Felix is just as good over one lap. In fact the 200 metres was effectively deciding the title of fastest women on earth, as it also included the 100-metre champion Veronica Campbell of Jamaica, who ran well to take silver in 22.34, and Sanya Richards of the US, who missed out her speciality, the 400 metres, and could only manage fifth here in 22.70.
Of course it wouldn't be a sprint final without some question mark after it, and here it's about Susanthika Jayasinghe of Sri Lanka, who took bronze at the age of 31 in 22.63. Close followers of the sport may recall Jayasinghe failed a random drugs test in 1998, revealing traces of the stanozolol steroid made infamous by Ben Johnson, and that's the sort of past an athlete will not shake.
It's just a pity she drags that old controversy into a race like this because Felix is the most natural-looking sprinter in years, impeccably coached by the experienced Bob Kersee and possessing the true talent that still makes the sport worth believing in.
So to Liu, China's Olympic champion in the 110-metre hurdles and the face already plastered on nearly every billboard in Beijing. Running in the outside lane he finished fastest, his 12.95 the eighth-fastest in history.
"Now I will have even more pressure than before," admitted the 24-year-old, "but this is something I will need to get over to keep going . . . Running in lane nine was both good and bad; it forced me to run my own race and showed that I'm a person with self-control."
Also displaying great self-control was David Payne, who only 45 hours earlier had learned he was running as a late replacement in the US team - and yet ended up taking bronze in a best of 13.02. Terrence Trammell, also of the US, took silver in 12.99.
The only Irish interest here yesterday was Olive Loughnane in the 20km walk, and her 17th place finish in 1:36.00, behind the Russian winner Olga Kaniskina (1:30.09), was highly satisfying.
It's only 14 months since Loughnane gave birth to a daughter, Emer. She has also been troubled with iron deficiency, but she came through strongly here, having been 24th at halfway.
"That was the plan," she said, "to come through. But I got a second warning after 14 kilometres and that forced me to hold back. But considering I didn't finish my last two championships I have to be very happy." Men's 400 metres final: 1 Jeremy Wariner (USA) 43.45secs, 2 LaShawn Merritt (USA) 43.96, 3 Angelo Taylor (USA) 44.32.
110 metres hurdles final: 1 Xiang Liu (Chn) 12.95secs, 2 Terrence Trammell (USA) 12.99, 3 David Payne (USA) 13.02.
Women's 200 metres final: 1 Allyson Felix (USA) 21.81secs, 2 Veronica Campbell (Jam) 22.34, 3 Susanthika Jayasinghe (Sri) 22.63.
20km walk final: 1 Olga Kaniskina (Rus) 1hrs 30mins 09secs, 2 Tatyana Shemyakina (Rus) 1:30:42, 3 Mara Vasco (Spn) 1:30:47. 17 Olive Loughnane (Irl) 1:36:00.
Triple jump final: 1 Yargelis Savigne (Cub) 15.28m, 2 Tatyana Lebedeva (Rus) 15.07, 3 Hrysopiy Devetz (Gre) 15.04.
Javelin final: 1 Barbora Spotkov (Cze) 67.07m, 2 Christina Obergfll (Ger) 66.46, 3 Steffi Nerius (Ger) 64.42.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
(All times Irish)
Today
01:00 Decathlon 110m hurdles
02:00 Decathlon discus
05:00 Decathlon pole vault
11:00 Women 1500m wheelchair final
11:00 Decathlon javelin
11:20 Men 1500m wheelchair final
11:30 Men pole vault final
12:05 Women 4x400m first round
12:30 Women 5000m final
13:00 Men 4x400m first round
13:30 Decathlon 1500m
14:05 Women 4x100m final
14:20 Men 4x100m final
Tomorrow
23:00 (Sat) Women marathon
11:00 Women high jump final
11:30 Men javelin final
11:30 Men 5,000m final
11:55 Men 800m final
12:10 Women 1500m final
12:30 Women 4x400m final
12:50 Men 4x400m final
