World Championships day four as it happened

4210 days ago

#2013 World Athletics Championships, #Yelena Isinbayeva

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World Championships day four as it happened

The world championships finally saw a nearly full stadium as the fans turned up to say farewell to Yelena Isinbayeva, only for the Russian pole vault queen to roll back the years and win an emotional gold medal against all the odds. Without a global title since 2008 and due to retire after this event, the 31-year-old fed off the energy produced by a raucous Luzhniki Stadium to triumph with a leap of 4.89 metres. American Jenn Suhr and Yarisley Silva of Cuba came in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The day’s other major result was was La Shawn Merritt winning the 400 metres as defending world and Olympic champion Kirani James finished a surprising 7th.

Ganna Melnichenko of Ukraine triumphed in the heptathlon. Canadian Brianne Theisen Eaton could not quite complete the combined events double two days after her new husband Ashton Eaton won the decathlon as she could only finish in the 2nd position. Dutch Dafne Schippers was third.

Russia’s Elena Lashmanova won the 20km race walk. Her team mate Anisya Kirdyapkina finished second and China’s Liu Hong took bronze.

Robert Harting claimed his third successive discus gold and Milcah Chemos Cheywa took the women’s steeplechase.

In the absence of world record holder and Olympic champion David Rudisha, Ethiopia’s Mohammed Aman duly won the 800m world title with a well-timed charge.