MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2015 SPORTS BEIJING: Jamaica’s Asafa Powell, United States’ silver medal winner Justin Gatlin, United States’ Tyson Gay, Jamaica’s gold medal winner Usain Bolt, United States’ Mike Rodgers and United States’ bronze medal winner Trayvon Bromell (from left) compete in the men’s 100m final during the World Athletics Championships at the Bird’s Nest stadium. —AP Bolt retains 100m world title BEIJING: Usain Bolt once again produced place in a time of 9.92. race at the Deagu world championships in regret dipping for the line quite so far out, a “Everybody wants to come out and his best when it mattered most to retain his They will both be awarded bronze 2011, however, and flirted with a similar move which disrupted his rhythm and win but I got nabbed by the great Usain. 100 metres world title and reassert his sta- medals after running identical times down mishap when he stumbled out of the reduced his speed. I’ll have a day off and come back and be tus as the number one sprinter on the plan- to a 1000th of a second. “I am speechless, blocks in the semi-finals earlier yesterday. “I feel good, on the last five metres I kind prepared for the first round of the 200.” et at a rocking Bird’s Nest Stadium yester- all I can say is wow!” said de Grasse, whose There were no mistakes when it came to of stumbled and it cost me my momentum,” Bolt will go for successive world cham- day. time was a personal best. final, though, and, he powered down lane said Gatlin, a world and Olympic champion pionship sprint sweeps in Beijing with The Jamaican had struggled for form American Mike Rodgers was fifth in 9.94 five to edge Gatlin at the line. before his second doping ban and the rise the 200 metres final scheduled for and fitness all season, stumbled his way while Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell and Jimmy The 33-year-old American will perhaps of Bolt. Thursday. —Reuters through the semi-finals and got nowhere Vicaut were sixth, seventh and eighth in 10 close to the times that his rival Justin Gatlin seconds dead. Su Bingtian, who received had been posting. the loudest cheers at the start of the race as Back at the arena where he first explod- the first Chinese to reach the final of the ed onto the world stage at the 2008 Beijing blue riband sprint at a global champi- Kovacs wins shot put gold Olympics, however, Bolt surged past the in- onships, finished last in 10.06. form American over the last 30 metres and The victory for Bolt will be an undoubt- BEIJING: American Joe Kovacs won the on, had a best throw of 21.74, while the more than a decade. crossed the line in 9.79 seconds, his fastest ed boost for a sport which has spent three men’s shot put gold medal at the world ath- bronze medal went to Jamaica’s O’Dayne The US national champion quickly run of the year. weeks locked in a public relations crisis letics championships in Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Richards, who equalled his national record imposed his authority on the final with a “I came out here, relaxed, no stress and over allegations of widespread doping Stadium yesterday, denying defending of 21.69. first effort 21.23 but the German lay down brought it home. My aim is to be number among athletes. champion David Storl of Germany a hat- It was a high quality final, with New his challenge by taking the competition one until I retire and therefore I am pushing With Gatlin, who has twice served bans trick of titles. The 26-year-old from Zealand’s Tomas Walsh setting an Oceania lead with 21.46 in round two. myself and pushing myself,” said the 29- for the use of banned substances, being Pennsylvania left it late and threw 21.93 regional record 21.58 in fourth place, and In the third round, Richards unleashed year-old after striking his trademark one of four convicted dopers in the final, a metres in the fifth round to become the first fifth placed Reese Hoffa, the 2007 world his best throw, the Pan-American champion “Lighting Bolt” pose. victory for Bolt proved to be more signifi- American since 2009 to win the shot world champion, throwing 21.00. giving himself the advantage of throwing “It is all about running the race and get- cant than who was the best sprinter. “I title. The third American to qualify for the last in the final three rounds. ting it done. You can call that race rusty. I understand why (people thought it was “It’s the first team I made and being in final, Christian Cantwell, a 2009 world It was Walsh who made the big move in could have run faster. This title means a lot important for me to win),” Bolt added. “But U.S. shot put, you kind of expect to be at champion, was forced to withdraw on med- the fourth round, hurling himself into the the top,” Kovacs told reporters. “It’s my first ical grounds, unable to compete after suf- silver medal position. But it was in the fifth to me. It has been a long season with me as I said, I wanted to do it for myself. It was world championships. Just coming here fering a muscle spasm in his back following round that the medal positions were deter- coming back from injury.” a big deal.” was just finding a few things. I dealt with it the morning’s qualifying competition. mined, as Kovacs grabbed the lead with his Gatlin finished second in 9.80 to take sil- Bolt, the reigning Olympic champion in different ways. I was excited to come Kovacs came to Beijing at the top of the best effort, punching the air in delight.Storl, ver as he did at the world championships in and world record holder, has now not been away with the win.” 2015 world rankings, having thrown 22.56m next in the circle, responded with his 21.74 Moscow two years ago, while young guns beaten in the 100m or 200m in six major Storl, the 2011 and 2013 world champi- in Monaco last month, the best effort in to take back second place. —Reuters Andre de Grasse of Canada and American global championships going back to 2007. Trayvon Bromell finished together in third He was disqualified from the shorter Serena to meet Halep in Cincinnati final CINCINNATI: Serena Williams brushed Jelena Jankovic 6-1 6-2 in the late semi- off some serving troubles before cruising final. to a 6-4 6-3 win over Elina Svitolina on Williams was broken early in the Saturday and will meet Simona Halep in opening set, but her opponent could not the Western & Southern Open final. keep the momentum or capitalize on the Williams’s serve was off for a second American’s eight double-faults for the consecutive match in Cincinnati and she match. Williams laced two straight back- committed 34 unforced errors but the hand winners to break Svitolina’s serve to world number one was never under seri- move to 3-1 in the second set. ous threat from the 14th-seeded The 20-year-old Ukrainian broke back Ukrainian. The American will bid to com- but Williams responded in kind to take plete a calendar grand slam at her home control before sealing the match with an U.S. Open from Aug. 31, a pursuit that ace. Halep’s semi-final win secured her kept her early struggles in perspective on the second seeding behind Williams at Saturday. the US Open. The aggressive base-liner “I wanted to not worry about this converted seven of 10 break-points and match, but worry about the next few was thrilled with her performance. “I matches and next few weeks and start played great tennis tonight. I was confi- playing better for that,” Williams said in dent and I think that’s why I played my an on-court interview. best tennis,” she said. “I have my chance “I got off to a super slow start today tomorrow (against Williams) but I expect but I started going for it and I think that a tough match. With her you never know; helped me out.” She will defend her title you can win, maybe, or you can lose against Romanian Halep who routed fast.”—Reuters OHIO: Novak Djokovic, of Serbia serves to Ukrainian qualifier Alexandr Dolgopolov during a semifinal match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament. —AP Djokovic, Federer advance CINCINNATI: Top seed Novak Djokovic and defeat at 4-5 but dug deep and found a way to time record versus the Ukrainian to 5-0. defending champion Roger Federer advanced escape the jam, ultimately taking the set with a Completing the set of ATP Masters titles will to the Western & Southern Open final in con- cross-court forehand winner. be no easy feat for Djokovic with six-times trasting fashion on Saturday to set up a rematch “(Djokovic) just plays more carefully on the Cincinnati champion Federer standing in his of their title-deciding Wimbledon clash. big points. You have to beat him and go for the way. Serb Djokovic, who beat Federer in the risk,” said Dolgopolov. “I really believed I could The Swiss got off to a fast start against Wimbledon final for a second consecutive year win and my game was enough to beat him.