Legend falls

At the World Athletics Championships in Berlin, Antje Möldner of Potsdam set a new German record in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, finishing in nine minutes and 18 seconds. Trouble was, that time was only good enough for ninth place. Martina Dominguez of Spain won the race, eleven seconds ahead.

Germany also had a disappointing evening in the hammer throw competition, even as it showed strength in depth. Sergej Litvinov of Frankfurt and Leverkusen's Markus Esser threw reasonably well on the night, but both finished short of the medals. Litvinov came in fifth, Esser sixth.

Esser, who finished fourth in the event in the World Championships of 2005 in Helsinki, was in a self-critical mood when he faced German TV cameras after the competition:

“I'd like to dig a hole and bury myself in it,” said the 29-year old. “That was the worst performance of my life. That's it for me this season – I'm putting the hammer down.”

Legend falls

The night's greatest disappointment, however, was the poor form of Yelena Isinbayeva.

The Russian pole vaulter came into the night's competition as the dominant force in the sport this decade. She had won every major world final since 2004, and holds the world record in the event.

On Monday in Berlin, she failed to clear the bar at any height, disqualifying herself.

"I think it happened because it had to happen," said Isinbayeva. "I hope I will recover from this."

Anna Rogowska from Poland took the gold, with 4.75 meters.

German vaulter Silke Spiegelburg came tantalizingly close to medaling, finishing level at 4.65 meters with Poland's Monika Pyrek (second place) and Chelsea Johnson of the United States (third). Spiegelburg, however, took one more attempt to clear that height and thus did not medal.

Holding steady

In other events, favorites lived up to their reputations.

Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia continued his supremacy in the men's 10,000 meters, winning with a time of 26 minutes, 45.11 seconds. Bekele has never been beaten in the event.

In the women's 100 meter final, meanwhile, Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser took the gold, finishing in 10.73 seconds.

The Jamaican, however, did not stroll to the title. She finished just two hundredths of a second ahead of her compatriot Kerron Stewart, and at first it wasn't entirely clear to the crowd on hand at the Olympic stadium who had won.

mrh/dpa/Reuters

Editor: Nigel Tandy