Masterkova, Kipketer sign off in style

Masterkova, who had to settle for bronze in the 800m earlier in the championships, finished with a time of 3 minutes 59.53 seconds, the top time of the season.

Jacobs had to settle for silver for the second time in a row but finished with a personal best of 4:00.35. Dulecha clocked 4:00.96.

Carla Sacramento of Portugal, the defending champion, led going into the final lap, but finished 5th overall.

In other events on the final day of the nine-day championships, Wilson Kipketer won his third straight world title in the 800 metres, capping a comeback from an acute case of malaria in 1998.

The Kenyan-born Dane, the world record-holder, overtook South Africa’s Hezekiel Sepeng on the final straight and held off a late lunge by Sepeng at the line to win in 1minute 43.30 seconds.

Kipketer fell onto the track after the finish but got up quickly, flashing a big smile. Sepeng clocked 1:43.32, with Algeria’s Djabir Said-Guerni third in 1:44.18.

Russia’s Svetlana Masterkova pulled away on the final stretch to win the women’s 1,500 metres, adding to the bronze she won in the 800.

Masterkova, the Olympic champion in the 800 and 1,500m, kissed the track after finishing in 3:59.53, second fastest time in the world this year. It was the first gold for a Russian woman at these championships.

Regina Jacobs of the United States, who was jostled twice while trying to take the lead in the final 250 metres, took the silver in a career best 4:00.35. Kutre Dulecha of Ethiopia was third in 4:00.96.

In the men’s javelin, Finland’s Aki Parviainen — world leader this year — won his first major title with a throw of 89.52 metres, edging Greece’s Kostas Gatsioudis (89.18m) to second. World record-holder Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic — coming back from a careerthreatening shoulder injury — was third in 87.67 metres.

Morocco’s Salah Hissou added to his brilliant career by winning the 5000m title. He clocked 12min 58.13sec, a championship record.

After six individual and team silver medals at the world cross-country, and bronze medals in the 1996 Olympic and 1997 world championship 10,000 metres, Hissou’s choice of event was indeed inspired, though it took the fastest time ever seen in a championship to win the gold.

In March he won both 1500 and 3,000 metres at the world indoor championships in Japan.

China won their first and only medals of the championships when Liu Hongyu and Wang Yan finished first and second in the women’s 20-kilometre walk. Wang thus became the first ever champion at the event, which has replaced the women’s 10km walk, as she led her teammate into the stadium by just a stride to clock 1hr 30min 50sec.

Maurice Greene anchored the US team to victory in the men’s 4×100 metre relay, winning his record-tying third gold medal of the worldchampionships.

Greene blazed down the straight on the final leg, blowing past Britain’s Dwain Chambers for a clocking of 37.59 seconds, the best time in the world this year and fifth fastest of all time.

Greene, winner of the 100 and 200m sprints, joined Carl Lewis as the only men to win three golds at the championships. Lewis did it twice, in 1983 and ’87.