Awesome display sees Wariner take 400m crown

JEREMY WARINER of the United States won the men’s 400 metres title at the world athletics championships in Helsinki last night.

The 21-year-old Olympic champion timed 43.93 seconds, the fastest in the world this season, while compatriot Andrew Rock timed a personal best of 44.35sec and Tyler Christopher of Canada ran a national record of 44.44sec to take the bronze.

“This is unreal. I was a bit tense in the heats as I really wanted the world title to add to the Olympic one but in the race I relaxed and ran a great one,” said Wariner, who even had the time to raise his arm before the finish in celebration.

Wariner, coached by Michael Johnson’s former mentor Clyde Hart, was in a class of his own as he came into the finishing straight several metres to the good of Christopher and Briton Tim Benjamin, who had beaten the American earlier this season.

Benjamin was unable to sustain his challenge and deliver Britain its first medal of a woeful championships and faded to finish fifth as 23-year-old Rock came with a late burst and overhauled Christopher.

Earlier, Ladji Doucoure of France won the men’s 110 metres hurdles title.

The 22-year-old timed 13.07 seconds to see off China’s Olympic champion Liu Xiang (13.08sec), while four-time world champion Allen Johnson of the United States took the bronze in 13.10sec.

“I wanted the gold but I didn’t make a very good start,” said Liu.

Doucoure’s victory evoked memories of Guy Drut’s at the 1976 Olympics as he put in a flawless display leaving Liu and the four Americans in his wake.

Doucoure, eighth in the Olympic final last summer after clipping the last hurdle, was neck and neck with Johnson for the majority of the race but the 34-year-old American’s clattering of four of the hurdles shattered his chances.

Allyson Felix of the United States won the women’s 200 metres in a time of 22.16 seconds, ahead of compatriot Rachelle Boone-Smith (22.31sec) while France’s 100m bronze medallist Christine Arron had to settle for third again (22.31 sec).

Arron, who was running in her first major 200m final, led coming into the straight and held a significant advantage on Felix but the American wore her down and by the final 10 metres had passed the Frenchwoman.

Arron then dipped slower than Boone-Smith and the 24-year-old American got the verdict for silver.

American sprint superstar Justin Gatlin’s bid to emulate compatriot Maurice Greene’s three world titles at one championship ended as the United States went out in the first round of the men’s 4x100 metres relay.

Gatlin was not part of the team as he was rested following his win in the 200m on Thursday but he saw his hopes flounder on the first hand-off as Mardy Scales handed it to Leonard Scott.

However, while Scott, a finalist in the 100m won by Gatlin, took hold of the top of the baton Scales kept hold of the bottom part and the baton then wriggled free and fell to the ground.

“I had high hopes of coming out for the final and going for gold but now we won’t be doing that,” Gatlin said.

Olympic champions Great Britain made no such mistake and qualified safely for the final on Saturday coming in second behind fastest qualifiers Trinidad and Tobago while Japan, France, Jamaica and Australia were also among the finalists.

Russia’s Olga Kuzenkova won the women’s hammer throw title.

The 34-year-old Olympic champion threw a season’s best 75.10 metres, another Russian, Yelena Isinbayeva won the women’s pole vault with a world record vault of 5.01 metres.