Lagat delighted at gold success

Kenya-born Bernard Lagat won a fifth World Championship gold medal for Team USA in Osaka and then proclaimed: “I feel very special.”

The 32-year-old ran a perfect tactical 1,500 metres in the Nagai stadium, choosing the right moment to dash clear and win in a time of three minutes 34.77 seconds.

He said: “My medal is for the United States and everyone in America.”

The Olympic 2004 silver and 2000 bronze medalist, who announced he had switched citizenship in 2005, stepped up a gear 50 metres from the finishing line to become the USA’s first-ever metric mile global champion.

Defending champion Rashid Ramzi and Shedrack Korir had no response to his slick move.

Lagat’s relatively slow time and the 3:35.00 clocked by Bahrain’s Ramzi did not matter. This was championship racing at its best.

Lagat’s team-mate Alan Webb – the fastest man in the world this year – did much of the leading around Osaka’s oval stadium, but never looked happy at the front and it came as no surprise when he fell backwards on the last lap and finished eighth in 3:35.69.

The 24-year-old three-time national champion was a spectator as Lagat sealed a victory he will treasure, having been welcomed so willingly into the US camp.

“I followed the advice of my coach which was to follow the pace,” said Lagat, who is also entered for the 5,000m where the first-round heats begin on Thursday.

“So I did not go crazy at the beginning and accelerated at the end. The pace was not that slow.

“But I still paid attention so that I did not get burned.”

The first man ever to score a 1,500m/5,000m double at the USA Championships added: “I executed my kick extremely well and that was the key to winning.

“Today was a perfect day. I have waited so long for that medal.”

The 2003 championships saw Lagat withdrawn by Athletics Kenya after it was alleged he had used the banned substance EPO.

But the case was never proven and he returned to finish second behind Hicham El Guerrouj in the 2004 Olympic 1,500m final.

Lagat added: “I am going to inspire a lot of people in America and Kenya.

“I feel fresh enough to run tomorrow evening the heats of the 5,000m.”

Earlier, Michelle Perry had brilliantly defended her 100m hurdles title after being strongly challenged by Perdita Felicen and Susanna Kallur.

Perry kept her head as her Canadian and Swedish rivals pressurised her to win in an impressive 12.46seconds.

“It was an extremely difficult race,” the former heptathlete said. “I rate it in the top three most difficult ones in my career.

“I kept talking to myself that I can win this race and defend my title and stayed calm.

“The first five hurdles were great. In the middle it was a little shaky and I did my best after the 10th hurdle.”

Pan-American Games silver medalist Donald Thomas went a place higher than in Rio de Janeiro last month to win an extremely close high jump contest.

After only emerging on the world stage last year, the 28-year-old from the Bahamas edged out Yaroslav Rybakov and Kyriakos Ioannou on a countback with the bar at 2.35m.

Thomas equalled his own world-leading mark for 2007, with the Russian and Cypriot improving their season’s best by two and three centimetres respectively.

Defending discus champion, Franka Dietzsch claimed her third world title by beating off a quality field.

Appearing in her ninth championships, the 39-year-old German, who claimed her first title eight years ago in Seville, threw a lengthy opener of 66.61m which was good enough to seal the competition.

Russia’s Darya Pishchalnikova, with a personal best of 65.78m, took second place ahead of Cuba’s Yarelis Barrios, whose throw of 63.90m was the furthest of her career.

Liu Xiang, who was surprisingly beaten by Lajdi Doucoure for the 110m hurdles title two years ago, will only have revenge on his mind after easing through the first round of qualifying.

China’s Olympic champion went through the motions of qualifying for Thursday’s semi-finals in a time of 13.36sec.

“It was easy, I was not forced to show my best,” said the world record holder, who was only focusing on the job at hand rather than next year’s Beijing Olympics.

“First I need to be in the finals then we can speak about my goals. Before the race I was a little bit tired. but now I am okay.”

France’s Doucoure, who has had injury problems, also coasted through, clocking 13.61sec behind Greg Sedoc of the Netherlands.