Katarina Johnson-Thompson misses out on heptathlon gold as Tori Bowie wins 100m title
Sunday 6 August 2017 23:23, UK
Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Holly Bradshaw missed out on medals at the World Athletics Championships as Tori Bowie claimed a surprise women's 100m title.
With Bradshaw and Johnson-Thompson missing out it means Mo Farah remains Britain's only medalist after his storming success on the opening night but the story of Sunday was another shock in the 100m.
Much like the men's event, the overwhelming favourite was dethroned in the final event of the evening as Olympic silver medalist Tori Bowie left the world-leading Jamaican Elaine Thompson trailing in fifth and claimed her first individual gold medal on the world stage.
Thompson stumbled early on and never recovered as Bowie gave the USA a sprint double, taking the gold in a time of 10.85secs - a time bettered by Thompson in her blistering semi-final run earlier in the evening.
But it was Bowie's night as she threw herself across the finish line she followed Justin Gatlin in claiming a gold medal for America in the blue riband event. Ivory Coast's Marie-Josee Ta Lou took silver in 10.86secs and Dafne Schippers claimed bronze (10.96secs).
Johnson-Thompson's wait for a major outdoor medal continues as she paid the price for the disappointment of her high jump on the opening day of the heptathlon.
An improved showing on day two from the Liverpudlian including three javelin throws over 40m for the first time in her career gave her hope of a medal, but when Anouk Vetter throw a huge throw in the javelin in Sunday's early session a place in the top three looked beyond the 24-year-old and she was left trailing in fifth spot overall.
With the positions all but secure there was little drama in the 800m and the top three did all they needed to do in terms of time so it was Belgium's Olympic champion Nafi Thiam who took gold with 6,784 points.
It was Belgium's first World Athletics Championship gold medal to go with the Olympic crown she claimed in Rio last year where Johnson-Thompson finished sixth.
Germany's Carolin Schafer took the silver medal with 6,696 points with Netherlands' Vetter taking bronze (6.636) thanks in part to a championship best javelin throw of 58.41m.
There was also disappointment for Bradshaw in the pole vault, won by Greece's Katerina Stefanidi with a clearance of 4.91m, Britain's Bradshaw could only finish in sixth place.
There was an impressive showing from Team GB's Kyle Langford who reached the 800m final, although team-mates Guy Learmonth and Elliot Giles missed out as did Andrew Pozzi, who crashed out of the 110m hurdles at the semi-final as he was edged into fourth in the blanket finish.
The men's 400m once again looks like being the event to watch as South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk faces a real battle to hang on to his title in a loaded final on Tuesday night.
Van Niekerk won his heat ahead of Botswana's Baboloki Thebe but it was the Bahamas' Steven Gardiner, setting a national record of 43.89sec who recorded the fastest time in qualifying for the final.
Thebe's team-mate Isaac Makwala won his semi-final in 44.30sec but like Van Niekerk may pay the price of doubling up in the 200m and 400m - both attempting to become the first man since the great Michael Johnson doubled up in the 1995 World Championship and 1996 Olympics.
Both men will be without a break as the 200m heats get underway on Monday while Gardiner will have a day's rest before he takes to the track in what should be one of the championships' highlights.
