Usain Bolt beats Justin Gatlin to win world 100m title

Tempered applause was heard at a packed Bird’s Nest stadium when Gatlin, in a red one-piece suit, was introduced to the crowd. Bolt’s victory is well earned.

The Jamaican produced a season best time of 9.79 – just 0.01 quicker than his American counterpart – to secure his ninth World Championship gold medal. “It’s a big deal”.

Bolt had enormous pressure on his shoulders and was not a clear favourite at the start of the finals.

Usain Bolt is still the fastest man in the world. With two more solid performances in the long jump and the javelin on Sunday, the Olympic champion – then known as Jessica Ennis – closed in on her second world title, six years after her first.

“It’s No. 1 when it comes to competition”, Bolt said. On the other hand, you’ve got Gatlin, who in May running 9.7 and isn’t getting any slower.

Billed as a battle of good versus evil, Bolt was fighting the challenge of Gatlin not just to preserve his sprinting dominance, but, to many, to save the soul of the sport.

Masrahi ran the one-lap race in 43.93 seconds to improve the continental record he already held since past year by a whopping half a second.

Andre de Grasse of Canada and young American Trayvon Bromell were both awarded bronzes after finishing with times of 9.92secs.

“Congratulations to Usain Bolt for a historic victory”, the IOC President said.

“I came here just to add to my status and my greatness because that’s what I want until I retire”.

Bolt had sought to play down concerns that he has been struggling to maintain his own high standards, calmly telling reporters he was in “wonderful condition” after Saturday’s heats.

Men’s 400-meter hurdles: The United States and the world’s two fastest men of 2015, Bershawn Jackson and Johnny Dutch, failed to make the final. The last five metres were crucial here, I leaned too far forward coming to the finish line and caught myself off-balance.

World Universities champion Thomas Barr and twice European medallist Mark English both bowed out at the semi-final stage of the 400m hurdles and 800m respectively.

Three years after the 2012 London Games, and now a mother, Jessica Ennis-Hill remains the heptathlon standout she once was.

With all three competitors pretty even in the 800, the biggest rivalry at this year’s world championships could well be for silver.

Ennis-Hill won with 6,669 points, 115 points ahead of Theisen-Eaton. O’Dayne Richards of Jamaica surprised the field with a national record throw of 21.69 for bronze.

Defending champion Usain Bolt made a meal of it but recovered from a stumbling start to reach Sunday’s 100 metres final at the world championships, setting up his Beijing showdown with in-form American Justin Gatlin.

China’s Zhen Wang matched the previous day’s achievement of team mate Lijiao Gong in the women’s shot put by taking silver in the 20km walk after being overhauled by Miguel Angel Lopez in the final kilometre.