BEIJING, China (AFP) – Liu Hong won China’s first gold medal of the Beijing world athletics championships yesterday after she struck a pact with her “little sister” Lu Xiuzhi in the women’s 20 kilometres walk.

The world record-holder and title favourite broke clear early alongside Lu, and they built a massive lead in the roasting morning heat before Liu won in one hour 27.45 minutes with countrywoman Lu right behind her.

“Near the end of the race we spoke about whether we were going to really fight it out to the finish line, because we knew we already had a gold for China,” said Liu, suggesting seniority may have been a factor in the result. “But my little sister said, ‘Let’s go into the stadium as we are.'”

Wild cheers greeted the 28-year-old Liu and Lu, seven years her junior, as they entered the Bird’s Nest to complete a one-two finish for the Chinese, who had won three silver medals and one bronze in the first six days of competition.

Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Olyanovska took bronze, 28 seconds behind.

PHOTO: CHINESE WALK DUO

CAPTION – Liu Hong (right) and Lu Xiuzhi. (PHOTOS: AFP)

Bartoletta leaves it late for long jump gold

BEIJING, China (AFP) – American Tianna Bartoletta was crowned long jump world champion in Beijing yesterday on Friday thanks to a final effort of 7.14 metres.

Bartoletta, who previously won the world title in Helsinki in 2005 and was sitting third going into the final round, edged Britain’s Shara Proctor into silver on 7.07m with Serbia’s Ivana Spanovic taking bronze (7.01m).

PHOTO: BARTOLETTA

CAPTION – Tianna Bartoletta as she lands with her winning jump.

I’m clean, says Schippers after 200m gold

BEIJING, China (AFP) – Dutchwoman Dafne Schippers rejected any suggestion of doping after she smashed a 36-year-old European record to win the world 200m title with the fourth fastest run in history yesterday.

Schippers, who claimed 100m silver on Monday and only switched to sprinting from heptathlon after the 2013 world championships, clocked 21.63sec as she lunged at the line to deny Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson.

It was a remarkable run by Schippers, 23, who eclipsed the European record of 21.71sec set by Marita Koch in 1979 and matched by fellow East German Heike Drechsler in 1986.

Only Americans Marion Jones and world record-holder Florence Griffith-Joyner have run the 200m faster than Schippers, who won hepathlon bronze at the Moscow worlds two years ago.

The careers of Koch, Dreschler, Jones and Griffith-Joyner were all mired in doping allegations, but Schippers insisted she had nothing to hide.

“I know I’m clean and I work very hard for it,” said Schippers. “I do all the dope controls and I don’t want to say more than that.”

The Dutchwoman added: “I’m very happy with my time and the European record. I hoped coming here for the gold medal and a time under 22 seconds.

PHOTO: SCHIPPERS DAPNE AP 200M

CAPTION – SCHIPPERS… I know I’m clean and I work very hard for it.

Russian Shubenkov wins 110m hurdles

BEIJING, China (AFP) – Sergey Shubenkov of Russia won gold in the men’s 110m hurdles at the world championships yesterday.

The two-time European champion clocked a national record of 12.98 seconds, with Jamaican Hansle Parchment taking silver in 13.03.

Olympic champion and world record holder Aries Merritt, who will leave Beijing directly for a kidney transplant, won bronze in 13.04.

PHOTO: PARCHMENT AND OTHER WINNERS

CAPTION – Sergey Shubenkov (centre) winner of the 110m hurdles with Hansle Parchment (right) second and Aries Merritt (USA) third.