Story highlights
Ethiopia’s Mare Dibaba wins women’s marathon
Compatriot Almaz Alyana takes women’s 5,000m
Kenya tops medals table as Asbel Kiprop wins 1500m
Jamaica shocks U.S. in women’s 4x400m relay
(CNN)Track and field world champions come in all shapes and sizes from the towering height of Usain Bolt to the diminutive 4 foot 11 inch (1.51m) Mare Dibaba, who took gold for Ethiopia in the women’s marathon Sunday
Dibaba thrillingly outsprinted two other athletes to take top spot on the podium, the first of two victories for the East African country on the final day of competition in Beijing.
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For all its long distance running pedigree, it was the first time Ethiopia had won global gold in a marathon and Dibaba did it with a sprint worthy of the six foot five (1.95m) Bolt, who had streaked along the same stretch of track Saturday to win his third gold of the championships as Jamaica took the sprint relay.
Read: Bolt’s golden hat-trick
Dibaba, who had set the fastest time in the world earlier this year, beat Kenya’s Helah Kiprop by a second, while Kenyan-born Bahraini Eunice Kirwa claimed bronze.
Congratulations Mare Dibaba! The first Ethiopian woman to win a world championships marathon title! pic.twitter.com/P1sMdgv0dO
— IAAF (@iaaforg) August 30, 2015
All three had entered the Bird’s Nest Stadium in contention, with Kenya’s Jemima Sumpgong in close pursuit, but it was Dibaba who had the fastest finishing kick.
“I was confident because my last lap is fast,” said Dibaba.
Defending champion Edna Kiplagat could only finish fifth, but Kenya did add to its gold medal tally later when Asbel Kiprop defended his men’s 1500m title.
It left them on seven golds, the same mark as Jamaica, which continued its dominance of the relay events by stunning the United States team in the women’s 4x400m relay.
22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
Usain Bolt of Jamaica crosses the finish line to win gold in the men’s 4×100 metres relay final ahead of Mike Rodgers of the United States at the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
The Jamaican relay team (L-R) Nickel Ashmeade, Asafa Powell,Usain Bolt and Nesta Carter pose for photographers after winning the final of the men’s 4×100 metres relay event.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
Bolt has now won 11 gold medals at World Athletics Championships, including three in Beijing this week.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
The Jamaican relay team celebrate by taking selfies with fans.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
Bolt had already seen off Justin Gatlin to land the 200m title in Beijing Thursday.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
Bolt recorded a time of 19.55 seconds to beat Gatlin, who finished second in 19.74s.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
“There was never a doubt that I would win this one,” Bolt, who won the 100m title Sunday, said after the race. “I’m number one.”
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
Gatlin had to settle for his second silver medal of the 2015 World Athletics Championships after missing out to Bolt in the 100m final as well.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
The best home video ever? Bolt records the medal ceremony during which he’s given the gold he won in the men’s 100 meter at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
Bolt beat his rival Gatlin by one 100th of a second Sunday. Gatlin was the pre-race favorite and has ran the fastest time this year, but he is a divisive figure due to his previous bans for doping offenses.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
The taste of success is nothing new to Bolt, who made it nine World Championship gold medals with his triumph on Sunday.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
Bolt of Jamaica won in the Men’s 100m final at the World Athletics Championships Beijing 2015 Sunday with a time of 9.79 seconds.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
Victory in Beijing means Bolt holds on to his tag as the world’s fastest man.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
Bolt may be the fastest but he is just one sprinter off a conveyor belt of talents to come from Jamaica.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
The secret to his speed and that of his countrymen and women, says Bolt, is the level of internal competition.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
The reason behind the Caribbean island’s success appears to be down to the sprint system for budding athletes from day one.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
Bolt arrived in Beijing as defending triple world champion having won his 100 meter gold in Moscow two years ago under the backdrop of lightning.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
But his career high – at least in speed terms – was at the Worlds in 2009 where he set a 100m world record of 9.58 seconds.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
He subsequently shattered Michael Johnson’s 200m record at the same championships with a time of 19.19 seconds.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
Bolt has been coached to the top by Glen Mills, a key figure in shaping the sprint talent that Jamaica has to offer.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
Bolt appeared to be struggling this season with form and fitness but won the Anniversary Games 100m in a time of 9.87 seconds.
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22 photos: Usain Bolt – the world’s fastest man
It brought with it the trademark “Lightning Bolt” celebration.
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Jamaica’s Novlene Williams-Mills overtook Francena McCorory in the final 10m of the last leg after individual 400m champion Allyson Felix had run a stunning third leg to give the U.S. the advantage ahead of the final change.
Kenya, by virtue of a greater tally of medals, topped the final medals table from Jamaica, with the U.S. in third.
Read: Bolt beats Gatlin for 100m title
There was some consolation for the U.S. as LeShawn Merritt anchored them to the men’s 4×400 title ahead of Trinidad and Tobago.
The women’s 5,000m also produced a shock as Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba, a warm favorite to add to her 1500m title, was left trailing by compatriot, Almaz Ayana.
And that’s the medal table from the #Beijing2015 World Championships pic.twitter.com/XI1g0dageF
— IAAF (@iaaforg) August 30, 2015
Dibaba, no relation to marathon winner Mare, had to settle for bronze as another Ethiopian, Senbere Teferi, edged ahead of her in the closing straight.
Derek Drouin of Canada dashed the hopes of defending champion Bohdan Bondarenko to win the men’s high jump gold, while Katharina Molitor of Germany took the women’s javelin with her final throw of 67.69m, the best in the world this year.
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