Zuzana Hejnova became the first woman to retain the world 400m hurdles title with a composed and controlled run where she was never challenged in Beijing today.
The Czech athlete showed that not even a year out of the sport with injury could take away a chink of her brilliant ability as she won in 53.50, the fastest time in the world this year.
She was easily ahead of Americans Shamier Little (53.94), in second, and Cassandra Tate (54.02) in third, with Denmark’s Sara Slott Petersen in fourth (54.20).
'It is hard being the favourite and I was nervous before the final, but I am happy to have won my second world title - it is perfect,' said Hejnova.
After being forced to miss last summer’s European Athletics Championships in Zurich, Hejnova returned for the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Prague in March where, in front of her home crowd, she competed in the 800m.
Even though she was knocked out in the heats, it was all about making that comeback to a big event and whatever experience she would have taken from that would have held her in good stead in China.
From the start she always looked the winner, and on the home turn was in charge as she attacked the final two barriers to seal this second successive world crown.
Pitkamaki, Kyriakopoulou and Krause bank bronze
Finland’s Tero Pitkamaki won his third world championship medal as he took bronze in the javelin, just as he did in Zurich last year.
Pitkamaki was the champion in Osaka in 2007 and runner-up in 2013 and delivered a fine series of throws, with 87.64m his best from round four.
But by that stage Kenya’s Julius Yego, who has learned much of his trade in Finland, had sealed gold with a sensational third round 92.72m - the third best throw in history - Egypt’s Ihab Abdelrahman El Sayed (88.99m) won silver.
As Pitkamaki was on his way to the podium at one of the end of the Bird’s Nest Stadium, Greece’s Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou was doing the same at the other end in the pole vault.
Kyriakopoulou leads the European rankings with her national record of 4.83m from July and this time 4.80m brought her bronze.
She led at that stage but failed on her first attempt at 4.85m and then twice at 4.90m but she was still all smiles as Cuba’s Yarisley Silva (4.90m) won from Brazil’s Fabiana Murer (4.85m).
Germany’s Gesa Felicitas Krause broke her personal best as she won bronze (9:19.25) in a brilliant 3000m steeplechase final, just beaten into third as Tunisia’s Habiba Ghribi (9:19.24) took second in race won by Kenya’s Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi (9:19.11).
Krause made a bold bid for gold in a real battle in the home straight and though she was denied, it was a superb run in a European-leading time.
Asher-Smith at her best
Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith has broken the national 100m record this summer but she opted for the 200m in Beijing and made a great start in the heats.
Asher-Smith set a personal best as she won the last of the seven races in 22.22, the quickest time overall, and she is joined in the semi-finals by teammate Margaret Adeoye (23.10) who overcame the amazing incident of Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown (22.79) running the final 100m of heat five in her lane after misjudging the turn.
But she was not disqualified as she had not seemingly disturbed the Briton.
European champion Dafne Schippers (22.58), fresh from her 100m silver, looked impressive too as she won her heat without a moment of concern.
Britain’s Zharnel Hughes (20.14) won the first of the three men’s 200m semi-finals and Türkiye’s Ramil Guliyev (20.10) is also in the final after being the fastest loser in the heat won by Usain Bolt (19.95).
Farah stumbles his way into the final
Fresh from successfully defending his 10,000m title on Saturday, Mo Farah is looking to keep hold of his 5000m crown this weekend, but he did not have an easy ride into the final.
The Great Britain distance star was at the front of a group of 10 as they reached the final bend when he was tripped.
He lost his balance; he fell forward but managed to quickly regain his composure to make it home. He was second in the race (13:19.44) and will now be determined to avoid a repeat when he returns to the Bird’s Nest Stadium this Saturday.
Fellow Briton Tom Farrell (13:45.29), Türkiye’s Ali Kaya (13:21.46) and Germany’s Richard Ringer (13:19.84) also made it into the final.
No trouble for Wlodarczyk
Poland’s hammer world record-holder Anita Wlodarczyk needed just one throw to reach Thursday’s final.
With the qualification mark being set at 72.50m, Wlodarczyk, who broke the world record at the start of the month with her amazing 81.08m, reached 75.01m, the best of the day.
European athletes will make up more than half of the field of 12 including Alexandra Tavernier (74.39m) of France, who made it through as second best overall with a personal best, and Moldova’s Zalina Marghieva (72.29m). Germany’s former world record-holder Betty Heidler qualified with her second throw of 70.60m.
Romania’s Marian Oprea (17.07m) reached a season’s best to make the triple jump final and Portugal’s Nelson Evora (17.01m) also qualified in the stadium where he won Olympic gold back in 2008.
Belarusian Maryna Arzamasova (1:58.69) and Britain’s Lynsey Sharp (1:58.98), the gold and silver medalists respectively from last year’s European Athletics Championships, reached the 800m semi-finals with the best two times of the heats, from their opening race.
And in the 110m hurdles heats, European champion Sergey Shubenkov (13.31) made the semis after finishing third in his heat behind world record-holder Aries Merritt, of the USA (13.25) and France’s Dimitri Bascou (13.29).