Li Hong opens Chinese gold run

Beijing: Liu Hong won the women's 20 kilometres walk on Friday to hand China its first gold medal of the Beijing world championships. The morning after Usain Bolt's emphatic 200m win at the Bird's Nest stadium, Liu gave home fans something to cheer when she headed a Chinese one-two in the walk with ‘little sister’ Lu Xiuzhi.

The pair broke early and built up a massive lead in Beijing's scorching morning heat, with Liu coming home for gold in one hour 27.45 minutes with Lu right behind her. Ukraine's Lyudmyla Olyanovska took bronze, 28 seconds behind. Dutch sensation Dafne Schippers clocked the fourth fastest run of all time to pip Jamaica's Elaine Thompson by three-hundredths of a second to win 200 metres gold on Friday.

The former heptathlete, who claimed silver in the 100 behind Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on Monday, surged through the line in 21.63 seconds, the quickest time for 17 years in the half-lap sprint. Only Americans Florence Griffith-Joyner, the world record holder, and Marion Jones, who was later banned for doping, have run faster.

Thompson was second in a personal best 21.66 while bronze went to her compatriot, twice Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, in 21.97. Jamaica's Danielle Williams won the 100 metres hurdles gold as her more experienced rivals crumbled under pressure on Friday. She took the lead after the last flight, winning in a personal best 12.57 seconds ahead of Germany's Cindy Roleder who also clocked a best time of 12.59.

Bronze went to Aline Talay in a Belarus record 12.66. Danielle, 23, raced in the final alongside her 25-year-old sister Shermaine who finished seventh in 12.95. It was the first time since the championships began in 1983 that two siblings had competed together in a final. Two of the leading American hopes, Dawn Harper Nelson and Keni Harrison, were eliminated at the semi-final stage.