IAAF World Championships: Almaz Ayana, Andrius Gudzius claim gold medals
Almaz Ayana won the 10,000m race by almost a minute while Andrius Gudzius produced a stunning performance to win the men’s discus gold at the IAAF World Championships.
Olympic champion Almaz Ayana produced an extraordinary display despite barely racing this season winning the world 10,000 metres title by almost a minute on Saturday.
The 25-year-old, who smashed the world record when winning in Rio last year, finished over 46 seconds clear of her legendary compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba, the three-time Olympic gold medallist and five-time world champion who took silver after being unable to go with the scorching pace of the winner.
Kenya’s Agnes Tirop took the bronze.
There was no indication early on that there would be such an outcome.
Unlike the men’s race on Friday the pace was snail-like in the early laps -- Kenya’s Alice Aprot not repeating her exploits of last year’s Olympic final when her searing pace set up Ayana for the world record.
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Ayana, who has been out of action with a succession of injuries, moved into second with 20 laps remaining as Uzbek runner Sitora Khamdova set the pace.
With 16 laps left, Khamdova beat the retreat and Ayana took up the pace with Kenyan-born Turkish athlete Yasemin Can in second and then three Kenyans with Dibaba trailing.
Ayana split the whole field as she sped clear with 14 laps to the tape, Can in no man’s land between the leader and five other runners.
Ayana increased her lead at will opening up a gap of around 60 metres on Can with 12 laps to go -- Can was subsequently swallowed up by a group of four including Aprot and Dibaba.
By the eight laps to go mark she was stretching her lead even further to over 100m with the quintet behind seemingly now resigned to battling it out for the minor medals.
The only trouble she encountered was running into the back of an athlete she was lapping but even then she made light of it and nimbly side-stepped out of trouble.
The group behind was down to four as Can was dropped having paid for her earlier efforts and then reduced to three as Irene Cheptai was cut loose.
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Ayana simply carried on extending her lead to almost a lap and stormed home to thunderous applause and once Dibaba had finally finished went on a lap of honour with her.
South African Luvo Manyonga won gold in the men’s long jump at the IAAF World Championships in London on Saturday.
The 25-year-old, Olympic silver medallist in Rio last year by just 1cm, leaped a best of 8.48 metres.
American Jarrion Lawson took silver with 8.44m, with another South African, Ruswahl Samaai claiming bronze (8.27).
Andrius Gudzius of Lithuania won gold in the men’s discus at the IAAF World Championships in London on Saturday.
The 26-year-old Lithuanian, 12th in last summer’s Rio Olympics, managed a best effort of 69.21 metres.
Sweden’s Daniel Stahl claimed silver with 69.19m, American Mason Finley taking bronze (68.03).