It’s Turkish delight as Van Niekerk is pipped
Turkey’s Ramil Guliyev shocked Wayde Van Niekerk to clinch the 200 metres title at the World Championships in London last night.
South Africa’s Van Niekerk (20.11sec) claimed silver to miss the chance to become the first man since Michael Johnson in 1995 to win the 400m and 200m double at the Worlds.
Guliyev won in 20.09, with Jereem Richards third, Great Britain’s Natheneel Mitchell-Blake fourth and Botswana’s Isaac Makwala sixth. Guiliyev, Turkey’s first ever world champion, said: “I make it. I believe if you want something so much, you make it.”
Gutted Mitchell-Blake said: “I feel like I have let the nation down. I know I had the calibre to get a medal. I wanted to win. That’s all I thought about when I go out there.
“I felt like I left it all on the track. It just wasn’t enough.”
Two-time Olympic champion and defending champion Christian Taylor won the triple jump, ahead of USA team-mate Will Claye, with a leap of 17.68m as Portugal’s Nelson Evora took bronze.
Kori Carter (53.07) claimed the 400m hurdles title, with team-mate Dalilah Muhammad taking silver and Jamaica’s Ristananna Tracey third.
Britain’s Eilidh Doyle (55.71) suffered disappointment, finishing in eighth place in her third world final.
Laura Muir led five British women into finals.
Muir and Eilish McColgan advanced to Sunday’s final of the women’s 5,000m event, while Dina Asher-Smith progressed to today’s 200m final.
Morgan Lake and Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who finished fifth in the heptathlon on Sunday, qualified for tomorrow’s high jump final.
British record holder Muir, fourth in the 1,500m final on Monday, finished seventh in her heat, clocking 14min 59.34sec to advance as a fastest loser. McColgan finished fourth in her heat in a personal best of 15.00.38.