By Bob Ramsak
STUTTGART, Germany, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Olympic champion
Barbora Spotakova broke the women's javelin world record with a
throw of 72.28 metres at the World Athletics Final on Saturday.
"This is strange because I did not expect it," said the
Czech who broke the previous mark of 71.70, set by Osleidys
Menendez of Cuba at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki,
with her first throw of the competition.
The Czech threw her previous best of 71.42, a European
record, in the final round in Beijing to take the Olympic title.
"I was thinking about how I can throw a personal best today,
but I never really thought about the world record," she said. "I
was really shocked. I didn't expect it. It's just unbelievable."
Spotakova, also the world champion, will receive a $100,000
bonus for the record on top of her $30,000 winner's prize.
Unseasonably cool and damp conditions ruled out a world
record assault in the men's 100 metres but Jamaica's Asafa
Powell clocked 9.87 seconds to easily retain his title. It was
his sixth sub-9.90 performance in the last 14 days.
"First, I was a little afraid to get hurt today," he said,
referring to the chilly weather. "But I knew I was going to run
really fast. I just went out of the blocks and I did it."
Powell led a podium sweep ahead of Nesta Carter (10.07) and
Michael Frater (10.10), both members of Jamaica's world
record-setting 4x100 metres relay squad in Beijing.
Powell will finish his season in Warsaw next Wednesday.
The conditions affected many of the athletes on the first of
the two-day competition but seven Olympic champions won.
DRAMATIC RACE
In the afternoon's most dramatic race, Olympic 400 metres
champion LaShawn Merritt beat Jeremy Wariner by 0.01 seconds.
Merritt, behind heading into the final straight, gradually ran
down Wariner before tumbling across the line in 44.50.
It was Merritt's fourth victory in seven races against
fellow American Wariner, the twice defending world champion,
giving him the edge this year in the sport's fiercest rivalry.
Beijing champion Andrey Silnov of Russia won the high jump
by leaping 2.35 metres to beat Stefan Holm, the 2004 Olympic
gold medallist, who was competing for the last time.
The Swede, who has cleared 2.30 or higher in 132 meets, got
over 2.33 to finish second.
Other Olympic champions to produce victories included Gerd
Kanter of Estonia who handily won the men's discus with a throw
of 68.38 metres. Front-running Gulnara Galkina of Russia won the
women's 3,000 metres steeplechase in 9:21.73, a meet record.
Nelson Evora of Portugal won the men's triple jump with a
leap of 17.24 metres and Poland's Tomasz Majewski took the shot
put title with a best of 20.88 metres.
With Olympic champion and world record holder Yelena
Isinbayeva sidelined due to illness, the surprise victory in the
pole vault went to Silke Spiegelburg who cleared a personal best
4.70 metres, the only victory by a German.
Portugal's world leader Naide Gomes made up for her Olympic
disappointment with victory in the long jump, leaping 6.71.
Josephine Onyia of Spain upset Olympic champion Dawn Harper and
Lolo Jones in the 100 metres hurdles, winning in 12.54.
Meseret Defar of Ethiopia and American Sanya Richards, who
won the 5,000 and 200 metres titles respectively on Saturday,
will be chasing double victories on day two of the World
Athletics Final when they contest the 3,000 and 400.
(Editing by Ken Ferris)
