Gonzales denied - Grenada's James snatches 400m at Worlds

DAEGU, South Korea (AFP) — Grenada teenager Kirani James produced a fantastic final sprint and desperate lunge at the line to snatch world 400m gold from defending champion LaShawn Merritt yesterday.

Reigning Olympic champion Merritt, returning to the world stage after a doping ban for testing positive for anabolic steroid DHEA, could only look on in horror as James pulled out his dip.

James, 18, clocked a personal best of 44.60sec, just three-hundredths of a second ahead of Merritt, with European champion Kevin Borlee of Belgium claiming bronze in 44.90sec.

Jamaica's Jermaine Gonzales, highly fancied for a medal, was fourth in 44.99 seconds with Rondell Bartholomew, the other Grenadian in the race, finishing sixth in 45.45. Tabarie Henry, of the United States Virgin Islands, was seventh in 45.55.

"I hope to see more and more Grenada folks," beamed James, who won the world youth title in 2009 and the world junior title last year.

"I hope we get teams ready by next year for the Olympics and I wish to do some great things."

James said he had not focused on Merritt during the race.

"I just wanted to stay as relaxed as possible and then to finish strong, I just did my own race," he said.

Merritt blamed his last-gasp loss on a lack of proper execution.

"I just had some mechanical issues in the final metres that went wrong," the 25-year-old said.

"I was focused on the finish line and I didn't quite execute as I wanted to. It's all about execution. I don't know what went wrong with the race, but I'll go back and have a look. I felt Kirani with about 15 metres to go.

"I came with a plan and I almost stuck to it. But the race is over now. I got a silver, I'm on the podium and feeling great and healthy and that's my number one concern."

After a slick start from all eight runners, Merritt made his usual move around the 200m mark.

As he rounded the far bend, it looked like he would have the beating of the field, but James proved him wrong to win the small Caribbean island's first ever world medal.

"The people from Grenada are the most friendly people in the world and at this moment they must also be the most happy in the world!" said James, based out of the University of Alabama.

"It's carnival time back home."

Bronze medallist Borlee said he had been left "with a wonderful feeling".

"I may be smiling because maybe I surprised my opponents," said Borlee, whose twin brother Jonathan finished fifth in the final.

There was disappointment for the Caribbean in the men's 400 metres hurdles, however, as Trinidadian Jehue Gordon and Jamaican Isa Phillips failed to qualify for the final.

Gordon, the reigning world junior champion, finished third in 49.08 in his semi-final heat, while Phillips was fourth in 49.16.

Josef Robertson and Leford Green also failed to advance to the final, having finished eighth and fourth, respectively, in semi-finals One and Two.

In the corresponding women's semi-finals, world and Olympic champion Melaine Walker of Jamaica finished second in her heat in 54.97 to advance to the final along with Kaliese Spencer, who was third in her heat in 55.02.

The other two Jamaicans, Nickiesha Wilson and Ristananna Tracey were sixth and fourth, respectively in semi-final Heats Two and Three.

Veronica Campbell Brown will lead her compatriots into action in the heats of the 200 metres, as will Kenia Sinclair in the 800 metres, while the men's quarter-milers bow into action in the 4x400 metres relays to today's programme.

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