First up on the second main session of the Championships was the womens 100m second round. Particularly impressive was Kerron Stewart from Jamaica who ran 10.92, and Carmelita Jeter from America, who ran 10.94. Both looked very relaxed and in control, and still ran some very quick times. Everyone you would expect to get through did just that. The semis and final will be stacked!

Then came the warm up act to the big event tonight - the semis of the mens 100m, with the finals set for later tonight. The first heat had Bolt, Darvis Patton, Daniel Bailey, and Michael Rodgers. In fact only three of the eight had Pbs slower than ten seconds - in a semi final. Heat two was no less stacked, with Gay, Powell, Chambers, and Frater, and another five sub ten second men.

And a false start! By none other than Usain Bolt, the man who has stated that the new false start rule of immediate disqualification doesn't worry him because he has never false started in his life before. I wonder if this will change his mind. And then came another false start, this one by Britain's Tyrone Edgar, who was unfortunately disqualified.

And then came an incredible display of running, as Bolt jogged the last 60 metres, as if waiting for the field to catch him, and still ran 9.89. The world record will definitely go tonight if Bolt runs hard.

In the second heat Gay and Powell have a good battle, with Gay winning in 9.93. But none of them look as comfortable as Bolt, and Bolt still ran faster. But then Gay never looks as comfortable as Bolt. It's still up for grabs, but it's swinging further in Bolt's favour.

Next up was the womens 400m semi finals, with a punishing qualification process. Three heats, and only the first two in each heat, plus the next two fastest times, qualify for the final. In the first heat Novelene Williams-Mills ran a hard race to take it out in a fast 49.88. In heat two, Shericka Williams ran an even faster 49.51 to record a PB. Russia's Antonina Krivoshapka wasn't too far behind, wunning 49.67. In the third heat Sanya Richards and Christine Ohuruogu went head to head. Within 100m Richards was up on Ohuruogu's shoulder, and going into the last 100m had a lead of nearly ten metres. Looking around, she slowed to a jog for the last 100m, but there's no doubt that Richards is out here with a point to prove. Ohuruogu got in second to also qualify for the final.

Tristan Thomas and Brendan Cole lined up in the semis of the mens 400m hurdles (Cole after being reinatated after being disqualified on a technicality last night). Both Thomas and Cole didn't hit their stride, with Cole hitting the fifth hurdle when he was hoping for a big PB. Thomas ran 49.76 and Cole ran 49.92. But 14th and 15th respectively is certainly something the Aussie duo can be proud of. Meanwhile in the field Alwyn Jones battled hard in the qualifying rounds of the triple jump, and just missed qualification by 40 centimetres.

The womens shot put final got off to an interesting start with World and Olympic Champion Valerie Vili only sitting in fourth for the first two round. But everything was put right when Vili busted out a massive 20.25m throw in the third round to claim first place. She was shortly followed by local hero Nadine Kleinert from Germany who threw 20.20m to be right on Vili's tail. Both competitors held their positions until the fifth round, when Vili extended her lead by comfortably throwing 20.44m. And it stayed like that until the end, with Vili claiming yet another gold medal.

In the womens heptathlon, which had been unfolding over the past two days, UK's Jessica Ennis established a big lead in the first two events, her best events - a lead she held right to the end, with no one ever really getting close to catching her. In her first event, the 100m hurdles, she ran 12.93 (and has a PB of 12.81), and in the second, the high jump, she jumped 1.92m (and has a PB of 1.95m). It's no wonder no one could catch her! She claimed the UK's first medal of the Championships, and there's no doubt the hosts of the 2012 Olympic Games were glad to be on the board.

Then came the main event. The mens 100m final. Would the world record go? Would Bolt be beaten? Would he celebrate again, like he did in Beijing? What would happen when the three fastest men in history lined up for the first time together, all fit and ready to go? All questions were answered in 9.58 seconds - a new world record! And by 0.11 seconds, a margin unheard of. Bolt powered to the line, and didn't pull up, and was rewarded with a time that will prove very hard for anyone else to reach anytime in the distant future. Gay got off to a good start, and ran a US record to become the second fastest person ever, in 9.71. Powell, who has become much more playful with the crowd and the camera (perhaps in an attempt to relax before big races), finally shook off his big time nerves and claimed a gallant third place. But Bolt is truly a champion, and continues to shock like never before. He is the man who can do absolutely anything.

 

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'Hills are speedword in disguise '
Frank Shorter

Rules - Introduction

This is one of the easiest tipping competitions you will ever find. Put simply, you need to predict where each Australian athlete will finish at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics. Some further important notes:

• You will be required to predict the finishing position of all Australian athletes who officially start an event;
• Any Australian athlete who doesn't actually participate in his/her event will be excluded from the final score;
• If an Australian athlete starts an event but either (a) does not finish, or (b) is disqualified, then that athlete is still included in the final score;
• All entrants to the competition will be asked to submit a valid email address, as all winners will be notified by email;
• Only one (1) entry per person is allowed, no exceptions;
• After your entry is received by Runnerstribe you will not be able to update your selections - so select wisely.
• Prizes are only applicable to Australian residents, although anybody around the world can enter the competition;
• Each day a competition ladder will be posted to the Runnerstribe website, so you can see where you're ranked after each day of the World Championships;
• ****Important**** : Entries close on the 14th August, 2009 (23:59 AEST)
• If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us by clicking here

Rules - Scoring

Some examples of how your final score is calculated:

• If you select Sean Wroe to place 11th in the men's 400m and his official placing is 7th, then your score would be four (4) points for that event;
• If you select Lisa-Jane Weightman to finish 20th and she does not finish the women's marathon, then her official placing will be equal to the last official athlete who crosses the finish line (e.g 69th). Your score would be forty-nine (49) points for that event;
• If you select Sally McLellan to place 5th in the women's 100m hurdles and her official placing is 5th, then your score would be zero (0) points for that event;
• If you select Australia to finish in 6th position in the men's 4x400m and they don't finish in their heat (and two other teams also record a "DNF") then your score would be equal to (16 less 3 = 13) less 6, which equals a final score of seven (7) points for that event.

Therefore the perfect score for this competition would be equal to zero (0) points.

Other important notes to consider:

• It will be important for you ('the entrant') to consider how many athletes/teams are entered for each event (the number of athletes who have competed at the 2007 World Championships are contained on the entry form to assist you ('the entrant') in making your final prediction for each Australian athlete);
• Remember that the maximum number of teams in the relay events (men's and women's 4x100m/4x400m) is equal to 18, therefore it would be incorrect to select Australia to finish in 21st position in a relay event (although you will still be able to select any position up to 99, so remember to think about your final selection for each event).

Rules - Final Score/Rankings

Your final score is simply the addition of all your predictions for each Australian athlete who starts in his/her event. The final score is then matched against all other entrants in the competition, with the winner being the entry with the lowest combined score. If there are ties for any of the top-3 entries (prize winners - see below), then the tie breaker will be number of exact matches (i.e zero (0) points for an event) an entrant has selected. If a further tie breaker is required, it will be who is closest to selecting the final finishing position of Scott Westcott in the men's marathon.

Prizes

This is the fun part. The prizes on offer (only available to Australian residents) are as follows:

1st Prize: Any pair of New Balance Shoes (running shoes) from the New Balance store (located at - http://www.nbwebexpress.com.au/) plus a Runner's Tribe singlet (approx. $250.00);

2nd Prize: A New Balance Jacket from the New Balance store (located at - http://www.nbwebexpress.com.au/) plus a Runner's Tribe singlet (approx. $150.00);

3rd Prize: A New Balance Performance Top from the New Balance store (located at - http://www.nbwebexpress.com.au/) plus a Runner's Tribe singlet (approx. $90.00)

All prizes will be shipped to the individual winners, with all winners notified by email.

* Note the singlet will include "Runner's Tribe" on the front (not as shown above).

So are you ready to enter? Well then make sure you read the "Terms and Conditions" and then click on the "enter competition" button below. Good luck!

Terms and Conditions

1. The Runnerstribe World Championship Tipping Competition (the "Game") is promoted by www.runnerstribe.com. The Runner's Tribe is the trading name used by Avago Running Pty Ltd, a private Australian company. When you enter and participate in the Game, you are bound to play and accept that you must participate in the Game in accordance with these terms and conditions (the “Terms and Conditions”), the Rules of the Game (the “Rules”) and any other materials relating to the Game published on the runnerstribe official website (the “Website”) including without limitation the list of the prizes.
2. Every application to participate in the Game must be made by a natural person (the “Participant” or the “Participants”) on the official electronic application form. Applications must adhere to the required format. Entry and participation is free.
3. Runnerstribe is subject to the data protection laws when collecting and processing personal data. For details, please refer to our Privacy Policy on the Website. Please remember that when participating in the Game, you are also subject to the Terms and Conditions for the use of the Website.
4. Upon submitting an entry to this competition, a valid email address but be supplied. The Runner's Tribe maintains the right to contact you in the future using this email address. If you do not wish to receive any further correspondence from The Runner's Tribe after the completion of the competition then please inform us and your email will be deleted from our database immedately.
5. By submitting your application, you hereby warrant that all information submitted by you is true, current and complete.
6. Only one application will be accepted per person.
7. Participants under 18 years of age and/or not of full legal age (a “Minor”) must seek parental permission before applying and participating in the Game and adhering to the Terms and Conditions.
8. The computer record of the application will be considered as being the formal application. Any application not adhering to the above format, incorrect applications or incomplete applications will be deemed invalid. Runnerstribe is not responsible for application information or results lost or delayed in the course of transmission.
9. The start date and end date for entries to the Game are the 4th August 2009 to the 14th August 2009. Entries which are not submitted within the dates shown will be invalid. Acceptance of an entry to the Game is at the sole discretion of Runnerstribe. All accepted and registered Participants will be notified by the Runnerstribe via electronic acceptance messages. Electronic acceptance messages that are either “undeliverable” or that remain undelivered will nullify the application and will result in the participation in the Game not being accepted. Runnerstribe shall not be liable for electronic acceptance messages which are either not received or wrongfully sent or are “undeliverable” or remain for any reason undelivered. Unless an electronic acceptance message is received from Runnerstribe, the entry is not accepted.
10. All winners will be notified by e-mail. If any prize is not claimed within 14 days or the potential winner is deemed ineligible an alternative winner shall be selected. All details of the prizes and in particular the terms of their attribution and use will be provided by notification to the winners. No interest will be paid on any prize. Participants cannot request a cash alternative or substitution of the prize. Runnerstribe, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to substitute a prize of greater or equal value in particular if any prize cannot be awarded as described due to unavailability. An independent observer shall oversee the selection of winners.
11. A list of prizes is available on the Website. The prizes shall be awarded on or after 30 August 2009.
12. In the event a Minor wins a prize, the participation in the Game has to be confirmed and the prize has to be accepted by his/her parent or legal guardian. Runnerstribe has the right in its sole discretion to amend or not to allocate a prize won by a Minor.
13. Application constitutes permission for Runnerstribe and any third party authorised by Runnerstribe to use the names of Participants at its sole discretion for publicity purposes. In particular, Runnerstribe intends to publish the winner's name on the Runnerstribe home page. By participating in the Game, each Participant explicitly agrees to publication of his/her name if this is required by Runnerstribe. A full list of winners will be available on request from Runnerstribe.
14. The Game is not open to anybody directly associated with the Runnerstribe website.
15. Informative and explanatory material relating to the Game (including instructions for this competition and the scoring system) and the Rules form part of these Terms and Conditions.
16. Runnerstribe may, at its sole discretion, suspend a Participant, disqualify any application or vary, amend or waive the Rules and/or the Terms and Conditions at any time or cancel the Game at any time in the event of circumstances arising beyond the Runnerstribe’s control or which make it desirable to do so. The Participants agree that no liability shall attach to Runnerstribe as a result thereof and that the exercise of such discretion shall not result in any compensation being payable or paid to any Participant or other person.
17. Runnerstribe cannot accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered by any Participant entering the Game or as a result of acceptance of any prize. Runnerstribe is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software failure of any e-mail or entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet, telephone lines or at any web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to a Participant’s or any other person's computer or mobile telephone related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in relation to the Game. By participating in the Game, you agree that no claim relating to any such loss or injury (including without limitation special, indirect or consequential losses) shall be asserted against Runnerstribe, its sponsors, affiliates, directors, officers, employees or agents.
18. By participating in the Game, you agree that no claim shall be asserted against Runnerstribe, its sponsors or affiliates or any of their respective directors, officers, employees or agents in respect of any and all losses or injuries (including without limitation special, indirect or consequential losses), damages, rights, claims or actions of any kind whatsoever that result from your acceptance or use of the prize.
19. Runnerstribe reserves the right to take any decision in relation to any matter whatsoever in connection with the Game. For the purpose of the Game, event results shall be deemed to be those standing at the time any winners of the Game are selected, notwithstanding any subsequent amendments. No correspondence shall be entered into with any Participant.
20. Any legal dispute between you and Runnerstribe in relation to the Game shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of Australia. Place of jurisdiction shall be Australia. Runnerstribe shall also be at liberty to enforce its rights and to take legal action in any competent court of your domicile.
21. The Participant must acknowledge and agree that he/she has read and understood these Terms and Conditions and that he/she is fully aware of the rights and obligations arising therefrom by ticking the "I agree" box on the application on the Website.