Olympic champion Gatlin sprints to world gold

AMERICA’S Justin Gatlin earned his mantle among the greats of sprinting last night as he added the world 100 metres title to the Olympic crown he won last year.

The 23-year-old timed a season’s personal best 9.88 seconds while Michael Frater of Jamaica took silver with 10.05sec and reigning world champion Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis taking bronze with a similar time.

Gatlin, who joins the likes of Carl Lewis, Donovan Bailey and Maurice Greene as holders of both titles, stormed home metres clear after overcoming a slow start.

“I feel great and to add the world title to my Olympic gold medal is even better,” said Gatlin.

“I know a lot of people tipped me to win but I still had to go out there and do it.”

The champion admitted that if injured world record holder Asafa Powell had been fit enough to race, the time could have been faster.

“If Asafa was here, we would have been faster. With him I would have to do my best. I’ve got more in me. I knew that tonight that I was doing enough to do it,” he said.

Gatlin’s compatriot Leonard Scott had got a clean start and led for the majority of the race but the muscular American got run down first by Gatlin and Collins and then by the fast finishing Frater.

While Gatlin showed the rest a clean pair of heels Collins and Frater had to hold on grimly from the Olympic silver medallist Francis Obikwelu, who came from nowhere in lane eight.

However Frater, 22, just edged the gallant 29-year-old Collins, who reserved his best two races for the semis and the final while Obikwelu finished fourth.

Meanwhile Olympic champion Carolina Kluft of Sweden retained her heptathlon world title seeing off French arch-rival Eunice Barber in a thrilling sprint finish in the final event, the 800m.

The 22-year-old ended with a total of 6887 points, 63 ahead of Barber (6824) while Margaret Simpson of Ghana took bronze with 6375 points in the multi-discipline event.

With her left ankle heavily strapped, a grimacing Kluft outpaced the valiant Barber down the home straight of the 800m to the rapturous delight of the Finnish crowd that have adopted the Swede as one of their own. The race was won by British Olympic bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton, but her impressive run was not enough for her to move from fifth in the overall standings after her dismal performances earlier in the day in the long jump and javelin.

“I had a really great experience here and Eunice is a fantastic competitor,” said Kluft.

“After the accident in training, I thought what would happen? I had my foot injury and it wasn’t good but I had strong support from my back-up team and the other girls.

“But this has given me hope to do even better in the future once I am injury free. It was a fantastic competition. Eunice pushed me to fight and I gave it the maximum. It’s easier to compete with opponents like her.”