Osaka JPN - It took eleven seconds to run, and ten minutes to decide who won the women’s 100 metres.

Campbell over Williams by the narrowest of margins

It looked to most expert observers that Veronica Cambell of Jamaica had just got up on the line to snatch victory from defending champion, Lauryn Williams of the USA. But the computer firstly displayed on the stadium scoreboard that Williams had won and then Torri Edwards before after minutes of waiting justice was seen to prevail, and Campbell, the Olympic 200 metres champion rescued some pride for Jamaica after another sort of high drama the night before when Tyson Gay beat Asafa Powell to the men’s title. It was close though, Cambell winning in 11.01sec, with Williams sharing the time, and the third US sprinter, Carmelita Jeter third in 11.02. Edwards was fourth in 11.05.

Third straight 10,000m title for Bekele

Kenenisa Bekele dropped off the pace a couple of times during the last two laps of the 10,000 metres, and it looked as if perennial minor medallist Silesi Sihine might emulate his fiancée, Tirunesh Dibaba, and win the world title. But it wasn’t to be. Bekele was only kidding. He made up the gap which had been forged before the bell by the little known Kenyan, Martin Irunqu Mathathi, then tracked Sihine past the 200 metres line before launching a killer sprint to another distant victory in a rapid (for the conditions) time of 27:05.90, a season’s best for the World record holder. Sileshi made it a one-two for Ethiopia, in 27:09.03, and Mathathi was third in 27:12.17.

9:06.57 Champs record for Volkova

Earlier, Gulnara Samitova of Russia set out as if she was going to break her World record for the 3000m Steeplechase, but after a first kilometre in 3:00.65, right on schedule for her 9:01.59 set in 2004, she started to fade as first, Eunice Jepkorir of Kenya took over the lead, only to be replaced within a lap by a second Russian, Yekaterina Volkova. As Samitova dropped back, the third Russian, Tatyana Petrova, passed Jepkorir and took up the chase. But Volkova - silver medallist behind the absent Dorcus Inzikuru of Uganda - in Helsinki 2005 was not going to be caught. Volkova was able to raise her hands aloft even before the last barrier - she was running the final kilometre in just under three minutes - en route to her victory in 9:06.57, a Championship record. Petrova was second in 9:09.19, a personal best, and Jepkorir was third in 9:20.09. Her young colleague, Ruth Bisibori Nyangau, set a World Junior record of 9:25.25* in fourth.

Tsikhan (Tikhon) defends Hammer Throw title with final round world leader

With one round left in the men’s Hammer Throw, defending champion Ivan Tsikhan (Tikhon) of Belarus was out of the medals, and Slovenia and Slovakia were looking forward to their first world gold and silver, respectively. But then Tsikhan hurled his hammer out to 83.63m, a world’s leading performance of the year, and Primoz Kozmus and his compatriots had to be happy with a first ever silver for a Slovene, and Libor Charfreitag emulated high hurdler Igor Kovacs from Athens ’97, in winning a bronze for Slovakia. Japanese national hero, Koji Murofushi, the reigning Olympic champion, has been having problems with his technique this year, but he still pulled one out on his final throw, a season’s best of 80.46 metres, to finish sixth.

With 17.74, Evora leaps from the shadows

Nelson Evora of Portugal had the triple jump series of a lifetime, and what a time to do it. A man best known in the past as a ‘combination’ jumper, ie Long and Triple jump – he was only fourth and sixth in those events in the European Championships last year – never lost the lead, after opening with a 17.41m leap. He fouled on his second then blasted out to 17.74m, his sixth national record. He closed with 17.39m, a distance only bettered by second placed Jadel Gregorio of Brazil (17.59m). But the title was already Evora’s, and the man who was born in Cape Verde Islands and emigrated to Cote d’Ivoire, brought the gold back to Portugal where he has lived since the age of five. Defending champion Walter Davis of the USA was third with 17.33m, a centimetre ahead of his colleague, Aarik Wilson.