Japan celebrate sprint medal

A night of the unexpected in Paris. Must have been something to do with the rain. The Japanese winning a medal in the sprints and the favourite crashing out of the 800 metres. You take nothing for granted at the World Athletics Championships.

That American John Capel won the 200 metres title wasn't a total surprise, but Shingo Suetsugu taking third certainly was. Before last night Japan had never won a sprint medal of any sort at either World or Olympic level.

Needless to say this caused a bit of a stir among the few Japanese fans in the Stade de France.

But it wasn't a performance out of nowhere. The 23-year-old Suetsugu had already lowered the Japanese record to 20.03 seconds this season, and last night his 20.38 was good enough to earn the bronze medal.

Capel won in 20.30, ahead of his team-mate Darvis Patton (20.31) - thus making up for the American crash in the 100 metres.

It also meant British hopes of a first gold medal were drowned out, with Darren Campbell well positioned off the bend, but fading in the end into a close fourth, clocking 20.39. The 35-year-old Frankie Fredericks of Namibia found the whole thing beyond his reach, taking seventh 20.47.

Any doubts that the men's 800 metres is not one of the most competitive races in Paris can now be dismissed. Three semi-finals were run last night, with only the top two in each and the two fastest losers qualifying for tomorrow's final. Which meant the semi-final had to be run just like a final.

Andre Bucher, the defending champion from Switzerland, did exactly that, taking out his heat in 53.12 seconds in the way he normally runs in the final. But he paid a price, fading down the home straight to take fifth - and beyond any chance of qualification.

The two other races were equally cut throat. Kenyan hope Nicholas Wachira fell in his race and didn't even finish, while David Krummenacker, America's World Indoor champion, faded to sixth in his race.

So who will be the new champion? Russia's Yuriy Borzakovskiy, still only 22, moved from last to first on the final lap of his race to win in 1:45.31, easily the fastest qualifying time. If he holds his nerve he should take gold. But Italy's Andrea Longo, just back from a two-year doping ban after being caught for nandrolone in Edmonton, could prove a surprise, albeit unpopular winner. Denmark's Wilson Kipketer also passed safely through.

Off the track and on the field, another truly competitive final unfolded in the men's long jump, which turned out to be something of a classic as the leading jump exchanged hands six times.

First to take charge was the American Dwight Philips, but he was later surpassed with the 8.13-metre jump of Ignisious Gaisah of Ghana. The lead was then twice exchanged between Philips and James Beckford of Jamaica, who responded with a season's best of 8.28 metres.

Stealing it in the end though was the fifth-round jump of Philips. His leap of 8.32 proved the winner, giving Philips the outdoor title to the indoor title he won in March.

You wouldn't expect a 40-year-old to be among the favourites for any title in Paris, but until last night's semi-finals of the women's 1,500 metres American Regina Jacobs was. Yet the quality of opposition on the night proved too strong, and by fading to sixth in her race in 4:06.92 Jacobs just missed out on a place in tomorrow's final.

In the absence of Jacobs the title looks destined for Sureyya Ayhan of Turkey.

Interestingly, among the qualifiers for tomorrow's final was the Russia's Yelena Zadorozhnaya, who is also due to start in Sonia O'Sullivan's 5,000 metres final later this evening.

The last of the Irish in action, meanwhile, will be the 400 metre relay team, who go in the third of the qualifying heats later this evening. Their chances of qualification had already been compromised by the absence of the injured Tomas Coman, as well as the below-par form of Paul McKee.

But to make the mission even more impossible they were drawn against the Russians, the South Africans, the British and the French - all of which are thinking about medals in tomorrow's final.