Berlin Wworld Championship:

Chandrika Subhashini 4th, Sanya, Amantie tune up in 400m heat

Dinesh WEERAWANSA reporting from Germany

BERLIN, Aug.15 - Sri Lanka's Chandrika Subhashini finished fourth in her heat while American favourite Sanya Richards and African championship silver medallist Amantie Montosho warmed up for Tuesday's final with impressive timings in the first round heats of women's 400m at the IAAF World Championships here in Berlin.

Running in heat four of women's 400m round one, the Lankan lass from Nikaweratiya clocked 53.68 seconds to finish fourth in women's 400m heat four, behind Debbie Dunn (USA - 51.13), Anastasiya Kapachinskaya (Russia - 51.17) and Amaka Ogogegbunam (Nigeria - 52.85). The Lankan lass was no where near her personal best timing of 52.36 registered in June last year.

"I did not get the start that expected and never recovered. I was aiming to better my personal best. But things were not easy at a world meet like this," said Subhashini who had the worst reaction time out of eight sprinters who ran in heat four.

World No.1 and pre-event favourite Richards pitched into the same heat as defending World and Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu. Richards is clearly in great shape, which she has demonstrated quite clearly throughout a season in which she has recorded the world's fastest time 49.23 and boasts a four out of four record in the ÅF Golden League series.

The American cruised to victory in heat five in 51.06 but what of Ohuruogu, who has yet to show her best form due a combination of illness and injury? Well, the British athlete looked fairly relaxed, finishing second in 51.30 ahead Aliann Pompey (51.38) of Guyana who took the third automatic spot for tomorrow's semi-finals. In heat one the fast-finishing Lyudmila Litvinova of Russia snatched first place in 51.31 from Italy's Libania Grenot (51.45), who appeared to ease off the gas in the latter stages having held a significant lead coming into the home straight.

Novlene Williams-Mills, who won the bronze at the last World Championships in Osaka 2007, satisfactorily advanced to win heat two in 51.55 seconds. The Jamaican held a clear lead coming into the home straight and progressed from the 2008 World Junior 400m silver medallist Jessica Beard of the USA (51.74). Much to the delight of the home crowd taking third, and also qualifying, was German champion Sorina Nwachukwu, who was 0.02 further back.

The fastest qualifier was Botswana's Amantle Montsho, who was a hugely impressive winner of heat three in 50.65. The enigmatic African champion has proved an inconsistent performer at championship level but revealed her medal potential with a commanding performance from lane eight. She left the Olympic silver medallist Shericka Williams trailing in her wake - and the Jamaican had to settle for second in 51.23. France's Solen Desert-Mariller (51.63) took third.

A tight heat four was taken by Debbie Dunn in 51.13. The US Championships runner-up held off a late charge from Russia's former World 200m champion Anastasiya Kapachinskaya (51.17) to bag the heat victory.

World No. 2 Antonina Krivoshapka of Russia eased to a comfortable victory in the sixth and final heat. The European Indoor champion kicked effortlessly away from her nearest pursuer, Nicola Sanders, down the home straight to stop the clock in 51.03. Sanders of Great Britain, the 2007 World Silver medallist, took second in 51.64.

Meanwhile, Olympic champion Borchin Valeriy of Russia accounted for the first gold medal of the 12th IAAF World Championship when he clocked one hour, 18 minutes and 41 seconds to win men's 20km worked off here this afternoon.

Olympic gold medallist Borchin bettered his timing in Beijing last year as he won the men's 20km walk with ease. The 23-year-old Russian didn't finish his race in Osaka 2007 Championship, but coming to the Olympics as a favourite last year he showed extraordinary determination to win clearly there. Same thing was repeated at the Brandenburg Gate here in Berlin although the start of the race did offer other leaders too.

Young Chinese Wang Hao who will be 20 years old tomorrow missed a medal narrowly in the Beijing Olympics with a fourth place finish there but things changed for the Inner Mongolia-born athlete here. Wang fought for the win with Borchin until 16km and eventually was a clear silver medallist in a personal best time of 1:19:06. Bronze medallist Éder Sànchez from Mexico made the significant move from his fourth place in Osaka to a medallist here. Sánchez set a season's best 1:19:22 for the third place.

The race at the centre of the city started with three walkers trying to make a break early. Norwegian Erik Tysse with Italians Ivano Brugnetti and Giorgio Rubino were in a clear lead already after 5km which they reached in 20 minutes sharp. Tysse, the younger brother of double Olympic silver medallist in women's 20km Walk, Kjersti Tysse Plätzer who will also compete here, had been fifth in 50km distance at both 2008 Olympics and 2007 World Championships. The 32-year-old Brugnetti was the 2004 20km Olympic and 1999 50km World Champion and 23-year-old Rubino had already placed fifth in Osaka 2007 so none of the leaders were inexperienced.

Olympic champion Primoz Kozmus was fittingly the first automatic qualifier in the men's Hammer Throw, while pre-championship favourite and world leader Kristian Pars overcame a shaky first-round throw to produce the best throw of the day.

Pars, competing in group B, threw just 72.94m in the first round before unleashing an impressive 78.68m in round two. The Hungarian will undoubtedly be a force in the final, but Kozmus also looks set to mount a strong challenge.

Kozmus threw 77.55m - five centimetres past the auto qualification mark - to advance into Monday's final. There the Slovenian will be aiming to emulate Poland's Szymon Ziolkowski, the last man to achieve the Olympic and World Championships double in back-to-back years.

Poland's Ziolkowski is still in good form too, and he led group A with a throw of 77.89m, his second-best throw of the season.

In the men's hammer throw qualification round, Olympic champion Primoz Kozmus was fittingly the first automatic qualifier, while pre-championship favourite and world leader Kristian Pars overcame a shaky first-round throw to produce the best throw of the day. Pars, competing in group B, threw just 72.94m in the first round before unleashing an impressive 78.68m in round two. The Hungarian will undoubtedly be a force in the final, but Kozmus also looks set to mount a strong challenge.

Kozmus cleared a distance of 77.55m - five centimetres past the auto qualification mark - to advance into Monday's final.

There the Slovenian will be aiming to emulate Poland's Szymon Ziolkowski, the last man to achieve the Olympic and World Championships double in back-to-back years.

Poland's Ziolkowski is still in good form too, and he led group A with a throw of 77.89m, his second-best throw of the season.

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