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Rediff.com  » Sports » PHOTOS: Farah is distance king, Fraser-Pryce sprint queen
This article was first published 11 years ago

PHOTOS: Farah is distance king, Fraser-Pryce sprint queen

Last updated on: August 17, 2013 00:30 IST

Image: Mo Farah of Great Britain celebrates winning gold in the men's 5000 metres
Photographs: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Mo Farah of Great Britain added the world distance double to the one he achieved at the London Olympics when he bravely held off the Ethiopian and Kenyan challenge in belligerent style to win the 5,000 metres on Friday.

He needed all of his famed final lap speed to come home in 13:26.98, ahead of Ethiopia's Hagos Gebrhiwet (13:27.26) and Kenyan Isiah Kiplangat Koech (13:27.26), six days after winning the 10,000 metres in Moscow.

'It was hard this year, harder than last year'

Image: Mo Farah (right) of Great Britain in action in the men's 5000 metres
Photographs: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Farah, defending his title from Daegu, became the only man apart from the peerless Kenenisa Bekele to hold the Olympic and world championship distance double simultaneously.

"I never thought in my career I would achieve something like this. This was very tough - it was all left to the last two laps. I had a lot of pressure but at the same time I enjoy it," he told BBC radio.

"This is something I work so hard for. I was thinking about my kids, how long I spend away from them. It's very difficult because they're growing so fast and I haven't been around for the last four or five months.

"It was hard this year, harder than last year."

Sprint double for Fraser-Pryce

Image: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica celebrates winning gold in the women's 200 metres
Photographs: Julian Finney/Getty Images

Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce completed a remarkable sprint double-double on Friday as she added the 200 metres gold to the 100 she won earlier in the week having scooped both medals at last year's Olympics.

Fraser-Pryce ran a brilliant bend and was always in command, coming home in 22.17 seconds.

Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast, also second in the 100 meters, pipped Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare by sixth thousandths of a second for silver.

Bolt leads Jamaican assault on 200 metres final

Image: Usain Bolt of Jamaica (centre) competes in the men's 200 metres semi-finals
Photographs: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Usain Bolt led three Jamaicans into the final of the men's 200 meters as the world record holder seeks a third successive world title at his favorite distance.

Bolt's team mates Warren Weir, bronze medalist in last year's Olympics and the next-fastest in the field this season, and Nickel Ashmeade, fresh from his fifth place in the 100 meters final, went through to Saturday's final as Jamaica bid to match their London Olympics podium sweep.

Hoping to crash their party, however, will be Adam Gemili, after the 19-year-old ran the second-fastest time ever by a Briton to make his first major final. His 19.98 is bettered only by former indoor world champion John Regis, who ran 19.87 when Gemili was nine months old.

Lysenko breaks record to win gold

Image: Tatyana Lysenko of Russia celebrates after breaking the championship record and winning gold in the women's hammer throw
Photographs: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Olympic champion Tatyana Lysenko of Russia set a world championship record enroute to winning the gold medal in the women's hammer throw.

Lysenko registered a best throw of 78.80m to edge past Anita Wlodarczyk's effort of 78.46, who smashed the Polish record for silver with the fifth longest throw ever in a thrilling battle. Zhang Wenxiu of China had to settle for bronze.

Russian Menkov wins long jump gold

Image: Aleksandr Menkov of Russia
Photographs: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Aleksandr Menkov of Russia delighted his home fans by winning the gold medal in the men's loing jump.

Menkov's winning effort of 8.56m, which is a new national record for Russia, helped him comfortably beat Ignisious Gaisah of Netherlands, who could only manage 8.29.

Storl clinches shot put gold

Image: David Storl of Germany competes in the men's shot put final
Photographs: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

David Storl of Germany won the gold medal in the men's shot put with a best throw of 21.73 in controversial fashion after he was first flagged for a foul throw but it was later reinstated.

American Ryan Whiting, whose best effort was 21.57 won silver, while Dylan Armstrong of Canada had to settle for bronze with a best of 21.34.

United States win men's 4x400 relay

Image: (Left to right): LaShawn Merritt,Tony McQuay, Arman Hall and David Verburg of the United States celebrate winning gold in the men's 4x400 metres relay final
Photographs: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

World 400 meters champion LaShawn Merritt anchored an emphatic American men's 4x400 meters relay triumph, a year after they were stunned in the Olympic final by the Bahamas.

The US, who have won the world title at every world championships since 2005, had the race sewn up from David Verburg's opening leg, with Tony McQuay and Arman Hall extending the advantage to allow Merritt a comfortable last lap.

With Merritt uncatchable, a thrilling duel for second materialized with Jamaica just pipping Russia much to the disappointment of a vociferous crowd roaring home Vladimir Krasnov.