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Athletics World Championships

Jamaica wins relays, world record beaten by Eaton, Farah keeps a title at the Beijing IAAF championships

There was more glory for Usain Bolt with his 11th world championship gold but luck was on the Jamaican team’s side in the relay. Ashton Eaton hit a world record in the decathlon, Mo Farah thrills at the finish of the 5,000 metres on an action-packed Saturday at Athletics World Championships in Beijing.

(L to R) Nickel Ashmeade, Usain Bolt, Nesta Carter and Asafa Powell of Jamaica pose for selfies after winning gold at the men's 4 x 100 metres relay final
(L to R) Nickel Ashmeade, Usain Bolt, Nesta Carter and Asafa Powell of Jamaica pose for selfies after winning gold at the men's 4 x 100 metres relay final Reuters/Phil Noble
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Jamaica’s men and women won the 4x100 metres relays on Saturday night. 

First the women: Veronica Campbell-Brown, Natasha Morrison, Elaine Thompson and Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce set a championship record of 41.07 seconds

And then the men: Nesta Carter, Asafa Powell, Nickel Ashmeade and Usain Bolt won their race in 37.36 seconds. Bolt stormed through the tape to milk the glory. It was his 11th world championship gold medal and his team had retained their crown.

But in truth he and his team were lucky that Tyson Gay and Mike Rodgers botched the handover between third leg and anchor. The Americans had been leading up until that point.

China’s Peimeng Zhang went through the tape third but his team was promoted after the Americans were disqualified for encroachment. Canada also went up a place for the bronze.

Ashton Eaton set a world record to retain the decathlon title.

The 27-year-old American held a 173 point advantage going into the second day of competition and though the Canadian Damian Warner cut into the lead in the first two events of the 110 metres hurdles and discus, Eaton reasserted his authority in the pole vault and the javelin in which he threw a season’s best distance of 63.63 metres. That meant Warner required an Eaton meltdown in the final event of the 1500 metres. It never arrived and he finished in 4.17.52 to rack up 829 points and a final tally of 9045.

“I was doubting whether I could run that time,” said Eaton. “I knew that I had to try what other option did I have?”

“Getting the silver was great,” Warner added. “Everyone’s going for gold but when a guy breaks the world record what can you do?”

Eaton joins a list of men including Trey Hardee, Dan O’Brien and Tomas Dvorak to have won consecutive world championships.

His result is all the more extraordinary as he hasn’t competed in a decathlon for two years to concentrate on the 400 metres hurdles.

“I realised how much I had missed the decathlon,” he said after the victory. “I learned a lot of things doing just the 400 metres hurdles. But it’s about having fun with the other decathletes. It was good to be back.”

Mo Farah also retained a title. The 32-year-old Briton conceded he had come under severe pressure during the 5,000 metres. In a thrilling finish he came from behind on the final bend to over overtake Kenya’s Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku.

The Kenyan kicked early two laps from home sensing that the runners were too bunched. Farah went with him as the field started to stretch. Farah’s title looked in danger as Ndiku maintained his pace. Farah though had the speed to pass him in the home straight.

Farah finished in 13:50.38 just over a second ahead of Ndiku. Hagos Gebrhiwet from Ethiopia was third.

Farah is the first man to win the 5,000 metres world championship three times in a row. The feat also makes him the first athlete to win back-to-back doubles of the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the event.

He has now won three doubles in a row. The 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the 2012 London Olympics, the 2013 and 2015 world championships.

He attributed his latest victory to experience.

“Caleb put his foot down and it was all just a question of me digging in and hanging with him,” said Farah. “The race started slowly so that helped me as my hamstring was a bit sore. Caleb’s a great athlete. He really tested me.”

In the other two finals decided on Saturday Marina Arzamasova from Belarus won the women’s 800 metres. Melissa Bishop from Canada was second and the Kenyan defending champion Eunice Jepkoech Sum took the bronze.

Poland’s Piotr Malachowski claimed the discus with a throw of 67.40 metres and the Russian Marina Kuchina leapt 2.01 to take the high jump title. Blanka Vlasic from Croatia and Anna Chicherova were also successful at the height. But they made more mistakes than her as the bar rose over the course of the competition.

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