There was plenty of drama in the Girls’ 100m final here in Ostrava, a tension which eventual winner Asha Philip of Great Britain would have happily avoided.
The race did not get underway until after two false starts which resulted in the disqualification of America’s Erica Alexander. Running in lane five, Philip blasted out of the blocks and seemed to have secured the win when Brazil’s Rosangela Santos strongly closed the gap in the last five metres and left the photo finish judges with a hard task ahead.
It took a good five minutes for the official result to appear on the screen Philip being declared the winner with a time of 11.46 the same as Santos, a new personal best for the Brazilian. In fact only one thousand of a second separated the two girls on the line.
Ashlee Nelson clocked 11.58 to secure bronze, Great Britain’s second medal of the Championships with Barbara Leoncio of Brazil taking fourth in 11.80.
A clear favourite coming into these championships, Philip had dominated her semi final earlier in the day just like she out-classed all her rivals in yesterday opening rounds.
Philip’s is Great Britain’s first ever global gold medal in the women’s 100m and it comes eight years after her compatriot Mark Lewis Francis won the Boys race in the opening edition of the World Youth Championships in Bydgoszcz.
LA
