The IAAF World Championships got off to an exciting early start this weekend in Beijing.
Puma spokesman Usain Bolt held on to his title as World’s Fastest Man on Sunday. The 29-year-old Jamaican won the 100 meters with a time of 9:79 seconds, edging out top American contender Justin Gatlin by just a 10th of a second. Gatlin took home the silver award, and fellow American Trayvon Bromell claimed a bronze with a time of 9:92.
Bolt and Gatlin will face each other again later this week when they compete in the 200 meters.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce claimed a gold medal in the women’s 100 meters with a time of 10:76. She was followed by silver-medal winner Daphne Schippers of the Netherlands and bronze winner Torie Bowie, an Adidas-sponsored athlete from the U.S.
And sprinters weren’t the only ones facing off this weekend.
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The men’s final for the 10,000 meters took place on the first day of competition. Britain’s Mohamed Farah held off Kenya’s Geoffrey Kipsang with a time of 27:01:13, versus Kipsang’s 27:01:76 finish. Coming in third was Paul Tanui, also of Kenya.
The female long-distance runners had their moment on Monday. Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya was victorious, with a time of 31:41:31. Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka took home the silver, and Emily Infeld of the U.S. claimed the bronze.
After the third day of competition, Kenya is leading in the medal count, with a total of six awards (two in each category). The U.S. also has six medals so far, but just one of them is a gold.
The IAAF World Championships for track and field continue through Aug. 30. Tuesday’s busy schedule will includes five final matchups: for the women’s discus throw, the men’s long jump, the men’s 400-meter hurdles, the women’s 1,500 meters and the men’s 800 meters.
