Worlds: Gold for Manyonga, Gudzius

London: South Africa's Luvo Manyonga said he was "over the moon" after winning the World Championship long jump title on Saturday, making up for the disappointment of missing out on an Olympic gold in Rio.

Manyonga, who only returned to formal competition last year after overcoming a drug addiction, led the final from the second round with a leap of 8.48 metres -- the third best mark of 2017.

The 26-year-old held off the challenge of American Jarrion Lawson, who in his first senior championships jumped a season-best 8.44 in the final round to claim silver.

The bronze was taken by Manyonga's compatriot Ruswahl Samaai, the leader in the Diamond League standings, who jumped 8.32.

"This gold medal makes me feel over the moon. I have been praying to get this gold medal," Manyonga said. "The world record is my next goal. Ruswahl and me are pushing each other through the events. I am the best in the world - this sounds great."

Manyonga, a junior champion in 2010, suffered numerous personal setbacks in recent years.Coming from a township just outside of Cape Town, he was given an 18-month suspension in 2012 for testing positive for the recreational drug tik -- the local variant of crystal methamphetamine.

Ethiopian Almaz Ayana destroyed the field to win the 10,000 metres finishing around 300 metres clear of her rivals in her first race of an injury-plagued season.

The Olympic champion began pulling away from the field after 10 laps, sweeping past back markers who were made to look sluggish in comparison.

She finished in 30:16.32 seconds, well outside the world record she set when she won in Rio last year but still enough to win by an astonishing 46.37 seconds, by far the biggest margin in championship history.

Ayana's compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba, the former world and Olympic champion, added to her impressive collection of medals when he took the silver with Kenya's Agnes Tirop in third.

"I am very happy to win this title, much more than when I won the Olympic gold because I have been sick this year and didn't expect it. In fact, this was my first race of 2017," Ayana told reporters.

There was disappointment for home favourite Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who is bidding to emulate her compatriot and three-times world champion Jessica Ennis-Hill.

She came sixth in her favourite event, the high jump, but brought herself back into contention in the 200m, winning her heat in 22.86 seconds to finish the day fourth on 3,838 points, behind Cuba’s Yorgelis Rodriguez on 3,905.

Lithuanian Andrius Gudzius, a one-time junior prodigy, finally fulfilled expectations to shock the big names in the discus and take gold.

The 26-year-old, who had won the world junior title back in 2010 but had never since come close to threatening the elite in his event, prevailed with a second-round throw of 69.21 metres, the best of his life.

His winning effort came immediately after Sweden's Daniel Stahl, the event favourite as the only man to throw over 70 metres this season, had launched a 69.19m throw.

Stahl ended up with the silver and American Mason Finley took the bronze with a personal best 68.03m.