Gatlin outguns opposition to garner golden double
Gatlin led an unprecedented 1, 2, 3, 4 for the USA, leading all the way to win in 20.04 secs, with American collegiate champion, Wallace Spearmon, second in 20.20 secs, defending champion, John Capel, third in 20.31 secs and Tyson Gay fourth in 20.34 secs.
Stephane Buckland (Mauritius) was fifth in 20.41 secs, ahead of Patrick Johnson, the Aussie of Irish extraction, 20.58 secs, Tobias Unger, the German record holder, 20.81, and Usain Bolt from Jamaica who was in trouble from the start, struggling home in 26.27 secs.
Slowest away in the 100m final, Gatlin was much quicker out of the blocks this time. "I wanted to come fast out of the curve and concentrate on the speed and the technique," he said. "I was a bit scared coming off the bend because I didn't know how the other guys were going. It was a powerful race and a great victory for us. I want to show the world that I am the champion."
Gatlin joins Maurice Greene, who completed won both events in Seville in 1999, as the only other man to record this particular double at the world championships.
There was a sensational climax to the final of the men's pole vault when unrated Dutchman Rens Blom cleared 5.80m for Holland's first ever gold medal at the World Championships.
Blom, who holds the national record at 5.81m and previously won bronze medals at the world indoor and European indoor championships but never figured outdoors, struggled with the opening height of 5.50m in the cold and damp conditions.
It had been a difficult week in the pole vault area with high winds and then wind and rain causing havoc. Last night German Tim Lobinger, Giuseppe Gibilisco from Italy, Nick Hysong from the USA and Pavel Geramisov from Russia all popped over their first attempts but then struggled from there with only Gerasimov getting over 5.65m along with Blom and Brad Walker from the USA.
Then Blom cleared 5.80m on his first attempt with Walker passing this height and then, when both failed at 5.85m, the gold went medal to Blom. Walker took silver with 5.75m and Gerasimov bronze with 5.65m.
Holland have only medalled three times at the world outdoor championships. On Saturday night Joachin Olsen won a silver medal in the shot putt and their previous medal was won by Erik De Brun, now living in Ireland and married to Michelle Smith, who was second in the discus in 1991.
A year ago Michelle Perry (USA) was a distant also-ran in the Olympic Heptathlon but last night she claimed a world title in a drama-packed women's 100m hurdles final.
The 26 year-old American was always leading the race in which the four principles - Perry, the Jamaicans Brigidd Foster-Hylton and Delloreen Ennis-London and Joanna Hayes, the Olympic champion - had drawn centre lanes.
They were in line up to the fourth flight when Perry edged clear and then Hayes started to make her move - perceptively closing the gap - but she hit the penultimate hurdle when poised to take Perry and then ran through the last, ending up in tears on the track.
She veered to the right and may have impeded Foster-Hylton, the world silver medallist in Paris two years ago, who finished third in 12.76 secs with the gold medal going to Perry in 12.66 secs, and the silver to Ennis-London in 12.76 secs.
After finishing only 27th in the Olympic Games last year, Germany's Franka Dietzsch regained the world discus title she won in Seville in 1999 with a fourth round throw of 66.56 metres.
Dietzsch's winning mark was the lowest for a gold medal in world championship history.
The silver medal went to Natalya Sadova (Russia) with a first round throw of 64.33m and the bronze to the Czech Republic's Vera Pospisilova-Cechlova.
Big Australian Craig Mottram put himself in line for a medal in the men's 5,000m with an impressive performance in the first round heats.
The 25 year-old Aussie, who has been mixing it with the Africans up front since leading all the way to win the 3,000m at the World Cup meet in 2002, took them on once again and finished second to defending champion Eliud Kipchoge. The Kenyan, who had to settle for the bronze medal behind Hichan El Guerrouj in the Olympic final, won the heat in 13:12.86 with Mottram cruising into second in 13:12.93 with Sileshi Sihine (Ethiopia), silver medallist in the 10,000m, third.
Kenenisa Bekele, who retained his 10,000m title earlier in the week, elected not to double up this time but his younger brother, Tariku, is through to the final after finishing second to Isaac Kiprono Songkok (Kenya) in the first hat with another Kenyan, John Kibowen, third.
There is just one European through to Sunday's final, Marius Bakken from Norway, who finished eighth in Mottram's heat and goes through among the fastest losers.
Europe's last medal in the 5,000m at this level was in 1987 when Domingos Castros from Portugal finished third.
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