Super mums strike world gold
IT was Mother’s Day on Sunday at the world athletics championships when Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce stormed to a record fourth 100 metres title and Allyson Felix won a record 12th worlds gold as part of the United States mixed relay team.
Fraser-Pryce embarked on her lap of honour with her son Zyon, born the day after the 100m final at the 2017 worlds she missed for that reason, to celebrate an emphatic victory in 10.71 seconds.
“Standing here having done it again at 32, and holding my baby, is a dream come true,” the Jamaican said.
“When I found out I was pregnant I was a nervous wreck, I was so worried about a lot of things, but now Zyon is my source of strength, my hope.”
Felix, who gave birth to a daughter 10 months ago, broke a tie with Usain Bolt who has 11 world title golds, and earned a record-extending 17th overall medal.
“So special, to have my daughter here watching means the world to me,” Felix said.
The US claimed the inaugural world championship 4x400m mixed relay in a record 3 min 9.04 sec — to finish ahead of Jamaica and Bahrain.
American Christian Taylor claimed a record-extending fourth triple jump gold and Russia’s Anzhelika Sidorova, competing as a neutral athlete, won the women’s pole vault.
Olympic champion and world record holder Liu Hong led a Chinese sweep of the medals in the 20km race walk, in which competitors battled extreme temperatures of around 32C and 75 per cent humidity.
Those competing in the stadium were assisted by the cooling system but Fraser-Pryce, with rainbow-coloured hair after yellow the previous day, lit up the track with her big win, just one-hundredths off her personal best.
European champion Dina Asher-Smith took Britain’s first medal in the event, a silver in a national record 10.83, while Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast took bronze in 10.90.
Fraser-Pryce added to the 100m titles from 2009, 2013 and 2015, and her total haul at the worlds stands at 8-2-0.
But that pales to Felix’s haul of 12-3-2 at the worlds after the American completed her dozen.
Taylor dug himself a big hole when he was one jump away from elimination after two fouls but he recovered in style to win with a season-best 17.92m.
Compatriot Will Claye took silver with 17.74m and Hugues Frabrice Zango won a first worlds medal for Burkina Faso, a bronze with an African record 17.66m. Sidorova won a thrilling duel with American Sandi Morris when she cleared a personal best 4.95m on her final attempt while Greece’s 2016 Olympic champion Ekaterini Stefanidis took bronze.
Hong won in 1hr 32min 53 sec to finish 17 seconds ahead of Qieyang Shenjie while Yang Liujing took the bronze.