Athletics: Gatlin Takes Sprint Double in His Stride

Justin Gatlin went one better even than Carl Lewis when he added the 200 metres title to his 100m gold at the world championships last night.

The American became only the second sprinter, after Maurice Greene in 1999, to win both events in the same championships since they began 22 year ago. Lewis won the 100m at the inaugural championships here in 1983 but did not contest the 200m.

Gatlin had looked tired in the earlier rounds but in his eighth race in six days he finished so far ahead of his rivals he was able to spend the last few metres looking over his shoulder and savouring the victory. His time was 20.04.

The closest runner to Gatlin was Wallace Spearmon, 16 hundredths of a second behind. It was still a historic occasion as the first four across the line were all Americans - a feat never achieved before.

John Capel, who qualified as the defending champion, finished third and Tyson Gay fourth. All four Americans shared a lap of honour despite reports from the village Capel had been instrumental in an initiation ceremony that had upset Spearmon and Gay so much it forced them to leave for different accommodation.

With Michelle Parry also winning the 100m hurdles and Walter Davis the triple jump -with an effort of 17.57m, seven centimetres less than achieved this summer by Britain's Nathan Douglas who failed to qualify for the final - it was America's evening.

With Britain enduring such a miserable world championships, it is perhaps understandable comfort is being sought wherever it can be found. That is why the performance in the 5000m of Craig Mottram was so welcomed by the 700 British fans inside the Olympic Stadium. He may have been racing in the green and gold of Australia and cursing Michael Vaughan for hitting a century at Old Trafford but as a British passport-holder based in Surrey he is the closest thing to a male medal hope Britain has in events that used to be the country's natural preserve. Just as in the 10,000m, Britain failed to field an entrant.

Mottram, a 25-year-old whose parents were born in Britain, looked so impressive finishing second in his heat in 13min 12.93sec that he is a serious candidate to be the first non-African to win a global title in this event for 13 years. He is helped by the fact that Morocco's Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj and Ethiopia's world record holder Kenenisa Bekele have both opted out of the event.

"The fact there hasn't been a European or an Australian or an American able to compete with these Africans for so many years makes it such a big step," said Mottram. "If I can pull it off it will be a huge result."

Mottram has admitted on several occasions he has considered switching his allegiance to Britain, which would qualify him for national lottery funding, but has so far remained loyal to Australia. He is a former junior triathlon champion who only started running seriously when he was 18. He believes the education he received at Geelong Grammar School in Victoria played a part in his ability to keep pace with the Africans.

When he was almost 15 he spent a year living at the school's bush campus near Mount Buller. As part of the curriculum he had to run three times a week and go on long hikes most weekends, just the kind of lifestyle followed by his Kenyan and Ethiopian rivals.