Purity Cherotich Rionoripo of Kenya wins the Girls' 3000m (© Getty Images)
Purity Rionoripo with a brilliant turn of pace over the final circuit became the third successive Kenyan winner of the World Youth Championships 3000 metres title in Bressanone on Wednesday night.
Rionoripo fully deserved the victory after leading the four main contenders teammate Jackline Chepngeno and the Ethiopians duo of Genet Yalew plus Emebet Anteneh through two even paced kilometres of 3:04.28 and 3:02.89.
The Ethiopians pushed forward to the front with two laps remaining and at the bell Anteneh decided to make a long run for the finishing tape.
But the pre-race favourite went too early, indeed the quartet were back together within a 100m when almost immediately down the back straight Rionoripo made what proved to be a winning break to pull clear and take the gold medal in 9:03.79.
Chepngeno coming around the final bend also powered past their northerly neighbours finishing in a personal best of 9:05.93 while Yalew produced her best ever mark for third in 9:08.95.
Urbaniak and Manssour strongest infield
Lena Urbaniak became the first ever German girl to win the Shot Put title with a solid series of throws ahead of Margaret Satupai and Yangzi Dong.
Samoa's Satupai set the standard for the contest sending her rounded ball out to a season's best distance of 14.96m with Urbaniak having a best effort of 14.79 and China's Yang throwing 14.55.
However Urbaniak who has a massive personal best of 15.61 heightened the stakes and produced what proved to be the winner with a hefty effort of 15.28 in the second round.
There was no change in the top three placings although Dong managed to add ten centimetres to her opener with a throw of 14.65m in the fifth round to reclaim the bronze medal position.
Hammer exponent Hamid Manssour after jumping into the lead in the fifth round with 61.96m, followed it up with a huge throw of 64.20m to win the gold medal for Syria.
Manssour until his penultimate effort had trailed Ryan Crouser the American leader who with his opening attempt of 61.58 and who despite improving to 61.64m with his second last throw, had to be content with the silver medal.
Travis Smikle's personal best of 61.22m in the third round earned the Jamaican the bronze medal but he faded immediately with a disappointing 55.05 and then two fouls.
Canada vs USA face off in boys' 100m
Aaron Brown raised the stakes in the men's 100m second round when slicing 0.09sec from his personal best and storming to a fast clocking of 10.46sec.
Brown showed not only the determination but pace which if he makes the medallist's rostrum in Thursday's final will surpass the previous best Canadian of placing of fourth which David Pedneault achieved on home soil in Sherbrooke six years ago.
Prezel Hardy however will remain favourite, the American and world leader striding under no pressure to a clocking of 10.57sec with Trinidad's Moriba Morain third best in a time of 10.61sec.
The Japanese pair of Ryto Yamagata and Takumi Kuki were next quickest raising eyebrows that the distance running nation has produced teenager sprinters who achieved marks of 10.63sec and 10.63sec.
James Kirani may have set his world 400m lead of 45.45 three months ago but the lanky Grenadian showed with his loping stride and despite slowing down in the last 50m, he is ready to surpass that mark.
Kirani was only eighth fastest overall, but the way he ran his race suggests there is a lot more to come although several of rivals will fancy their own chances.
Joshua Mance of the USA posted a pristine 48.88sec which was the fastest of the day heads that category, along with South Africa's Jacques de Swardt, Lestrod Roland of St Kitts & Nevis plus Aussie Alexander Beck who all ran easy looking sub-48 sec times.
Jeremiah Mutai suggested there might be a revival in the fortunes of African 400m hurdling when motoring to a personal best of 52.85 - the fastest time in the first qualifying round.
The Kenyan was a hundredth-of-a-second faster than Poland's Ziemowit Dutkiedwicz with the Italian pair of Jose Benscombe De Leon (52.88) and Lorenzo Veroli (52.99) also under 53sec.
Long Jump qualifiers
Russia's world long jump leader Maksim Fayzulin (7.67) may have been concentrating on the octathlon but there were still some solid qualifying marks with eight athletes over the automatic standard of 7.30.
South African Stefan Brits with a first time effort of 7.58m led the way while Supanara S.N.A of Thailand (7.44) and The USA's Carlton Lavong (7.37) needed only one attempt.
The trio will be aiming to benefit from what were confidence boosting displays in Thursday's final, but with Fayzulin chasing multi-event glory, the competition is wide open.
The Octathlon at the halfway stage was a very tight affair, Germany's Steffen Klink narrowly leading from Fayzulin with Qatar's Mohd Ahmed Al-Mannai hot on their tail.
Klink thanks mainly to an excellent shot effort of 15.96m and a tally of 3218pts, led his Russian opponent by just nine points while Al-Mannai was lying third with a score of 3151pts.
Girls' 100m quarter finals
Thursday's women's 100m final promises to be a healthy contest between British sprinters Shauna Thompson and Jodie Williams and the USA pair of Ashton Purvis and Jordan Clark.
The Brits are determined to better the gold and bronze medals Asha Philip and Ashlee Nelson won in Ostrava two years ago, while their rivals from across the pond particularly Purvis are determined to spoil the party.
Thompson added some spice to the confrontation when revealing Purvis had eyeballed her in the call up tent before the second round competition.
"Ashton was giving me dirty looks on the coach coming here and that made me more determined," said Thompson who had three metres to spare when winning her heat in 11.63sec.
Purvis determined to improve on the seventh spot at the last championships, seemed unfazed by that encounter having plenty in reserve when taking her race in 11.68sec.
Williams the baby of the race at 15 and sharing the world lead with Purvis of 11.48sec, eased down to win in 11.73sec while Clark through her hat into the ring as a contender.
Clark made a strong hint she has the gold medal on her mind and will be a challenger when posting a personal best of 11.58sec.
Michelle Brown of the USA led the women's 400m qualifiers but there wasn't much difference at this stage with her winning time of 54.39sec and 54.97sec which made her teammate Ebony Eutsey the fourth fastest.
The competition saw 11 PB's led by Sweden's Sandra Wagner who notched the second quickest mark of 54.47sec ahead of Romania's Adelina Pastor (54.86) with the slowest qualifier Sukoluhle Mlalazi of Zimbabwe running 57.58.
Other qualifiers...
Nelly Chebet Ngeiywo showed massive enthusiasm in her 1500m qualifier giving it everything she has when front running from gun-to-tape and winning in a pb 4:17.10.
The tiny Kenyan slicing over six seconds from her pb, also dragged Serbia's Amela Terzic and Merima Mohammed of Ethiopia to their fastest ever times of 4:18.04 and 4:20.19 as they qualified for Saturday's final.
Gete Dima with the afternoon session beginning in a temperature of 26 degrees, produced an even more exhilarating display when storming to an even quicker performance of 4:14.71.
The Ethiopian running 10 seconds faster than ever before was followed home by American Chelsey Sveinsson (4:20.08) and Ioana Doaga of Romania (4:22.06).
Korahubish Ita'a after improving her world 3000m steeplechase youth best in Spain last month looked very comfortable when stepping down to 2000m and setting the fastest time in the qualifying rounds.
Ita'a's clocked a very impressive mark of 6:29.88 when winning her heat and her fellow Ethiopian Halima Hassen winning hers in a PB 6:31.51 was second fastest.
Kenya's Lucia Muangi was nearest to the pair when following home Ita'a in 6:37.85 while Sweden's Lina Alainentalo produced a plucky display and fastest-ever of 6:38.81 behind Hassen.
Vera Rudakova was a sensation in the 400m hurdles when lowering her personal best from 58.99sec she also soared to the top of the world leaderboard with a fabulous time of 57.83sec.
It was a fantastic sight as the Russian coped easily with the 10 hurdles and will go into the semis knowing she is much faster than Jamaica's Damielle Dowie and Billi Liu who recorded 1:00.45 and 1:00.69 - the latter's a personal best.
Trost keeps home crowd hopes alive
Italian Alessia Trost was the only performer to clear the high jump qualifier of 1.80m and 12 others all of whom had best efforts of 1.77m were allowed to advance into the final.
China's Lena Deng led a highly talented field of contestants into the triple jump final with a first round clearance and PB of 13.09 with Yana Borodina from Russia also going over the 13m with a season's best of 13.07.
Ten of the 12 qualifiers for the final also achieved the standard of 12.60 with Santa Matule of Latvia (12.58) and Italy's Martina Bellio (12.55) joining them.
Barbara Spiler led the girl's hammer qualifier lifting her ball out to a healthy 58.94m while in the other qualifying round Rana Taha Ibrahim was 61cm further than the qualifier of 55m with her first effort.
Turk Kivilcim Kaya (56.16) was the only other who joined the Slovenian and Egyptian in attaining the requisite distance with 12th and last qualifier Julia Ratcliffe throwing 51.85.
David Martin for the IAAF
