15.08.2009

Berlin 2009 Day 1 - Morning session - LIVE

Welcome to Athletics Australia's live feed of all the action in Berlin at the 12th IAAF world championships in athletics.

Men's Shot put - Qualifying round

First up for the Australian Flame are the big men of the team, Scott Martin and Justin Anlezark in the qualifying round of the men's shot put.

Justin Anlezark will throw eighth in order in Group A where he will be joined by the 2008 Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski from Poland.

Australian record-holder Scott Martin will throw 16th in Group B, which will also see American Reese Hoffa begin the defence of the title he won in Osaka back in 2007.

The automatic qualifying distance is 20.30m, well within reach for both Martin and Anlezark, who have respective season's bests of 20.45m and 20.39m.

If the automatic mark proves too difficult for the field the best 12 throwers will go through to tonight's final.

Majewski, the favourite, is first to automatically qualify with 21.19m.

Anlezark heaves his first throw out to 19.94m, a solid opening throw for the former Australian record-holder. The 130kg Queenslander enters the championships in fine form, his 20.39m season's best coming just 13 days ago at Wattenscheid.

Martin, who also competed in the 2007 edition of these championships, records an opening throw of 19.16m.

At the end of round one the three automatic qualifiers so far are Majewski, 2005 world champion Adam Nelson and 2004 Olympic champion Andrei Mikhnevich from Belarus.

Anlezark will need his third attempt to qualify after throwing 19.41m in round two. This is not beyond the nine-time national champion who came fourth at the 2003 world championships in Paris.

The second throw for Martin goes out to 19.52m and he too will need to improve on that in the third round, as Belarus' Pavel Lyzhyn and Christian Cantwell (USA) join the automatic qualifiers at the completion of round two.

Anlezark and Martin are in 14th and 24th respectively. The 12th best throw of the competition is now 20.04m at the start of round three.

Anlezark's 2009 championship ends in disappointment as his third and final throw goes out to 19.33m.

Martin also can't improve in the final round and bows out of the championships with a throw of 19.45m.

Anlezark's best remained his first round throw of 19.94 and just misses out on the final, finishing in 14th place. Martin was not at his best today and his second round throw of 19.52m remained his best, finishing 25th overall.

The Australians were both disappointed in their efforts.

Martin was shattered: "I think the technique and power was there, but the timing wasn't. I had a bit of a groin strain so I took this week off training. The week before that I pretty much had off training because of my foot injury. Unless you throw at least twice a week it's hard to keep your timing."

"I did okay but I am really disappointed because I think I belong in the final. I belong in the world top eight."

Anlezark also thought he would fare better.

"I started really well and I thought that hopefully my first round was good enough to get through, but then a few other guys starting really popping them," Anlezark said shortly after.

"I kept throwing down the right sector. At least I did better than I did in Beijing."

View mixed zone interview from Justin Anlezark here

View mixed zone interview from Scott Martin here

Women's 3000m steeplechase - Heats

Tasmanian Donna MacFarlane is on the track, lining up against world record holder Gulnara Galkina from Russia in heat one of the women's 3000m steeplechase.

The first four in each of the three heats will automatically qualify for the final plus the next three fastest times.

MacFarlane's last appearance at the world championships ended in disappointment when she lost a shoe in the opening laps in Osaka.

MacFarlane's best in 2009 is 9.57.14 but she is much faster than that, having set the national record in Oslo in 2008 with 9.18.35.

Galkina wins the heat in 9.17.67, the fastest first round ever seen. MacFarlane never looked comfortable and finished in 12th place with a season's best of 9.52.46 but will not advance to the final.

"I got myself into a good position. There were a few elbows flying around in the first lap. I am surprised I didn’t run well, I didn’t expect it to go this way," MacFarlane said.

Men's 100m - First round

There are no Australians in the men's individual sprint with our speedsters instead taking to the track in the 4x100m relay later in the week, but the highly anticipated duel between Olympic champion Usain Bolt and defending champ Tyson Gay will provide one of the highlights of these world championships.

Jamaican Michael Frater takes out heat one in 10.30s. His better known compatriot Asafa Powell lines up in heat three and 2008 Olympic finalist Doc Patton from the USA looks to be the one to beat in heat two.

Powell shuts down early and almost misses out on the automatic qualifying position. He finishes third and will take his place in the second round later tonight.

The heats of the men's 100m continue with Usain Bolt soon to run but the Athletics Australia correspondents are off to the Brandenburg Gate to give you live coverage of the men's 20km walk.

Men's 20km Walk

AIS walkers Jared Tallent, Luke Adams and Adam Rutter stand before the iconic Brandenburg Gate in readiness for the men's 20km walk.

Athletes will walk 10 laps of the two-kilometre circuit at one of the most picturesque courses ever.

And they are off heading east down Unter den Linden for one kilometre before heading back towards the Brandenburg Gate to complete one lap of the circuit.

Jared Tallent, the Olympic bronze medallist in this event, and his Australian Flame teammates finalised their preparations at a high altitude camp in St Moritz, Switzerland.

Three athletes have broken away from the main pack in the early stages as they come through the Brandenburg Gate for the first time. The Australians all hold prominent positions in the second group only a few metres behind the leaders.

Luke Adams is no stranger to this race at the worlds, having been in the top ten at each of the last three editions. He was fifth in Paris (2003), tenth in Helsinki (2005) and seventh in Osaka two years ago.

At 4km, the Australians still maintain strong positions in the second group with Adams the best of the Aussies, as Norwegian Erik Tysse leads a group of four out in front.

A cool change at the 5km mark as the Australians pass through with showers lining the course; one of the early leaders, Moacir Zimmermann from Brazil, is reeled in by the second group.

Adam Rutter is making hs debut at the senior world championships after a successful junior career that saw him set national records over 10km and 20km.

At 6km Rutter, Tallent and Adams maintain their positions in the second group, which is now about 50m behind the leaders.

The retirement of three-time champ Jeffersen Perez of Ecuador will mean a new name appearing in the history books for the first time since 2001.

The 5km splits have just come through with Luke Adams in 10th, 14 seconds behind the leaders at 20.14 and Rutter and Tallent sharing the same time of 20.15 in 14th and 17th positions respectively.

At 7km it appears that Luke Adams has lost touch with the second group, but he his known for his ability to move through the field in the second half of his races.

Two Italians and a Norwegian lead the field through 8km. Rutter is looking good near the front of the chasing pack with Tallent not far behind. Luke Adams has one warning.

The Italians Rubino and Brugnetti are pushing the pace out in front. Rubino finished fifth in this event in Osaka. 2008 Olympic champion Valeriy Borchin is currently in fifth place.

At the halfway mark the field is breaking up as Rubin leads Brugnetti, the 2004 Olympic champion, with the Norwegian Tysse in third. Adam Rutter is in fifth, 11 seconds behind the leaders in 39.59. Tallent goes through in eighth at 40.00. Adams is back in 20th position (40.35), 47 seconds behind the leader.

The championship record belongs to Perez with 1.17.21, set when winning his first title in Paris in 2003.

At 11km Rutter and Adams have one warning, whilst Tallent remains clean.

Rutter has now caught the lead group and is moving away from the others. Coach Brent Vallance was right when he said Rutter's preparation for the worlds was going well.

Rutter made his Olympic debut last year in the 50km walk and this strength is showing today in the German capital.

Rutter has China's Wang, the 2008 Olympic fourth placegetter, Borshin and Lopez (COL) just off his shoulder. Tallent is still going well in about sixth place.

The Australians pick up some fluids as they approach the 12km point with seven walkers in the lead pack.

Unfortunately Rutter is disqualified with three warnings at the 12km mark. A disappointing end for the 22-year-old.

Australia's chances for a medal appear to belong to Tallent, the 2009 national champion, with Adams back in 20th position.

At 15km Tallent is in fifth position 14 seconds behind Wang and Borchin who hit the mark in 59.29. Adams maintains his 20th place with one warning and goes through in 1.01.45.

The leaders go through the Brandenburg Gate for the eighth time with Wang and Borchin now asserting their authority on the field out in front. Tallent goes through in sixth place.

On the penultimate lap of the 2km circuit the 22-year-old Borshin has moved out to a 10 metre lead over Wang. 

Borchin goes through the Brandenburg Gate for the second last time with a commanding lead over Wang and it appears only disqualification can prevent the Russian adding the world title to the Olympic crown he won last year.

The Berlin crowd is really getting behind the athletes as the final few minutes of this event unfold to the tunes of Pink Floyd's The Wall.

With one kilometre to go, the clock has Borchin going through in 1.14.50. Wang is still in second, 16 seconds behind.

Borchin is through the Brandenburg Gate and crosses the line in 1.18.41 to be crowned the first world champion of 2009.

Wang from China goes two better than at the Olympic Games to place second. Sanchez is in third.

Jared Tallent finishes in sixth place with a time of 1.20.27, his best result at a world championships.

Luke Adams, in his fourth appearance, placed 18th in 1.22.37, the first time he has finished outside the top 10.

The medal ceremony will be held at the Olympic Stadium later this afternoon.

A contented Tallent said of his sixth placing: "You have got to be be on song to do well so I am happy, sixth place is nothing to sneeze at. It was good but you always like to be in the medals."

"It was good to have my training partner Adam up there with me. I feel really sorry for him that he was disqualified but he'll work on that and it will give him a lot of confidence. The same thing happened to me two years ago at the world champs. I was in a similar position and got DQ'd. The next year I went on to medal at the Olympic Games. As long as he works on his technique he will be a real star for the future."

Tallent will also contest the 50km event on Day 7 of the championships.

"I am looking forward to the next race, I think my preparation will suit the 50 better," he said.

"80 minutes is pretty solid, I've only ever been about 40 seconds quicker so it holds me in good stead."

A philosophical Rutter was a surprise leader at the 11km mark.

"You actually feel like you have a chance when you feel good at that part of the race, it was amazing," he said.

He was eliminated after receiving three warnings.

"I got disqualified in world juniors but I've been pretty good in the other overseas meets, I guess with these races you sort of have to test yourself."

View the mixed zone interview with Jared Tallent here

View the mixed zone interview with Luke Adams here

View the mixed zone interview with Adam Rutter here