BEIJING: Allyson Felix justified her step-up to the 400 metres with a convincing world championships victory which helped send the misfiring US team soaring up the medals table yesterday.
Felix, the most decorated female athlete in history based around her 200m and relay expertise, clocked a blistering time of 49.26 seconds, the best in the world this year.
Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas claimed silver in a personal best of 49.67sec, with Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson taking bronze (49.99).
Felix, 29, has three world 200m titles to her name and is the reigning Olympic champion over the shorter distance, having previously bagged silver at the 2004 and 2008 Games.
But with several Olympic and world 4x400m relay golds on her resume, Felix wanted to test herself over the longer distance and it paid off spectacularly at a packed Bird’s Nest.
“It’s weird, it’s different to be down there for the 400m,” the American said.
“I wanted to challenge myself this year and I did and I’m happy I could be successful and that I trusted in the plan and it came together.”
Felix, however, joked that she was not looking forward to Friday and watching the women’s 200m final.
“It’s weird, it’s bitter, it’s going to be hard to watch. But it’s going to be a fantastic race.”
Earlier, Taylor produced the second-longest triple jump in history as he soared 18.21 metres to take gold in a high-quality competition.
Taylor and Cuba’s Pedro Pichardo came to Beijing having between them produced the 10 best marks of 2015, with the Cuban leading the way with 18.08m.
Taylor delivered the coup de grace with his sixth and final jump, landing just short of the 18.29m world record that has stood to Britain’s Jonathan Edwards since the 1995 world championships.
Jumping last, Pichardo too had his best jump in the sixth round but his silver medal-winning 17.73 seemed modest compared to what the packed stadium had just witnessed.
The bronze medal was also won by a last-round jump as Nelson Evora of Portugal, the Olympic gold medallist in the Bird’s Nest Stadium seven years ago, cleared 17.52 to snatch third place from Omar Craddock, the American who had moved into medal positions with a 17.37 effort in the penultimate round.
Longest
Meanwhile, Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk summoned up the second longest hammer throw of all time to dominate the final in the same way she has her event all season and win the title for a second time.
The 30-year-old is the only woman who has ever thrown the hammer beyond the 80 metre mark and she did it twice yesterday, winning gold with her fourth effort of 80.85 metres.
The only throw better in the history of the event was the 81.08 Wlodarczyk, who also won the world title in 2009, notched to improve her own world record in Poland at the start of this month.
“The title, the world record, I cannot ask for more this year,” Wlodarczyk said. “I proved that I can throw far also at international competition not only at home with the support of of the home crowd.
China’s Zhang Wenxiu delighted the local crowd by claiming silver with her best throw of the season (76.33), while 21-year-old Frenchwoman Alexandra Tavernier took bronze with her best effort of 74.02 - nearly seven metres behind the champion.