Berlin
22 August 2009
Rain poured and thunder roared Friday night as lightning lit up the sky over the Olympic Stadium on Day Seven of the World Athletics Championships in Germany.
Heavy rain delayed the competition by about 45 minutes during the evening session, as athletes and fans alike tried to wish the storm away. When the rain finally slowed, four medal events and three key qualifiers still awaited completion.
Allyson Felix on the track during her gold medal run, 21 Aug 2009 |
Felix said she was thrilled to win the 200-meters world championship again. "It's good, number three is definitely special. I'm so happy that it took place here, with so much history. I couldn't ask for more tonight," she said.
LaShawn Merritt |
Earlier, Russia's Yaroslav Rybakov took the men's high jump gold with a leap of 2.32-meters, while the women's discus title went to Dani Samuels of Australia with a personal best throw of 65.44 meters.
In the semi-final heats, women, including three Americans, qualified for Sunday's 1,500-meters final. In men's events, American runners qualified for the finals in the 800-meters, but were disqualified from the four-by-100 meter relay for an illegal baton exchange in the semifinals.