Usain Bolt knocks 0.11 seconds off his own 100-metre world record as he takes the world title in emphatic style.

BERLIN, GERMANY (AUGUST 16, 2009) DENTSU/AMS - Jamaican Usain Bolt smashed his own 100 metres world record with a scintillating time of 9.58 seconds to win the world championship final in Berlin, Germany on Sunday (August 16).
The scarcely believeable performance beat the 9.69 mark he set winning gold at last year's Beijing Olympics and took the race into a time zone undreamt of before his arrival on the scene.

American Tyson Gay, the 2007 world champion, finished second in 9.71, the second-fastest time ever before Sunday's fireworks and Jamaican Asafa Powell claimed bronze in 9.84.

Bolt, who false-started in the semi-final, made a flying getaway in the final and was clear after 20 metres.

He crossed the line watching the clock before blowing kisses to the crowd, hugging his friend Powell and completing a lap of honour roared on by around 70,000 cheering fans in the Olympic stadium.

Valerie Vili of New Zealand retained her shot put title with a best mark of 20.44 metres.

The 24-year-old Olympic champion produced her winning effort in the fifth round to head Nadine Kleinert of Germany who threw 20.20m. China's Lijao Gong was back in third on 19.89m.

Britain's Jessica Ennis won heptathlon gold after leading from the opening event.

Ennis, 23, won three of the four disciplines on Saturday (August 15) and managed a personal best in the other, the shot, to take a healthy 307-point lead into the second day.

She was pegged back slightly in the long jump and further in the javelin, her weakest event, but still went into the 800 metres with a cushion of 171 points, which represented around 11 seconds.

Ennis, who missed last year's Olympics with a fractured ankle, took a safety-first approach in the 800 by hitting the front early and holding off all challengers to finish safely in 2:12.22 for a total of 6,731 points.

A storming finish from Germany's Jennifer Oeser secured her the silver and Poland's Kamila Chudzik took bronze.

Olympic and world champion Olga Kaniskina was in a class of her own when he she raced to a 20km walk gold medal.

The petite 24-year-old Russian surged ahead after only six kilometres, staging a sparkling one-woman show, with a time of 1:28:10, that left the competition scrambling for the other medals.

Ireland's Olive Loughnane bravely held on for silver 49 seconds later, just ahead of China's Liu Hong.

Kaniskina's win means Russian women have won the past five 20km walk golds at the world championships.

Janeth Jepkosgei of Kenya still has a chance to defend her 800 metres world title despite falling to the track during her first round heat. Holding the lead about 150 metres from the finish line, her foot was caught by South African Caster Semenya, sending the Kenyan tumbling. Semenya, who has the year's fastest time, won the heat but injured her ankle in the incident, as Jepkosgei trailed in last and out of the qualification places.

The Kenyan Federation appealed against the elimination to the IAAF who ruled that Jepkosgei was to be given a place in Monday's (August 17) semi-finals, saying that she had been placed at a disadvantage in the event. They also attached no blame to Semenya for the incident, who may withdraw if her ankle is too sore.

Leading results:

Men's 100 metre final:

1. Usain Bolt (Jamaica) 9.58 secs * World record

2. Tyson Gay (U.S.) 9.71

3. Asafa Powell (Jamaica) 9.84

4. Daniel Bailey (Antigua and Barbuda) 9.93

5. Richard Thompson (Trinidad and Tobago) 9.93

6. Dwain Chambers (Britain) 10.00

7. Marc Burns (Trinidad and Tobago) 10.00

8. Darvis Patton (U.S.) 10.34

Women's shot put final:

1. Valerie Vili (New Zealand) 20.44 metres

2. Nadine Kleinert (Germany) 20.20

3. Gong Lijiao (China) 19.89

4. Natallia Mikhnevich (Belarus) 19.66

5. Anna Avdeeva (Russia) 19.66

6. Michelle Carter (U.S.) 18.96

7. Li Meiju (China) 18.76

8. Misleydis Gonzalez (Cuba) 18.74

Heptathlon:

1. Jessica Ennis (Britain) 6731 points

2. Jennifer Oeser (Germany) 6493

3. Kamila Chudzik (Poland) 6471

4. Nataliia Dobrynska (Ukraine) 6444

5. Lyudmyla Yosypenko (Ukraine) 6416

6. Hanna Melnichenko (Ukraine) 6414

7. Antoinette Djimou (France) 6323

8. Tatyana Chernova (Russia) 6288

Women's 20km walk:

1. Olga Kaniskina (Russia) 1hr 28mins 09secs

2. Olive Loughnane (Ireland) 1:28:58

3. Liu Hong (China) 1:29:10

4. Anisya Kirdyapkina (Russia) 1:30:09

5. Vera Santos (Portugal) 1:30:35

6. Beatriz Pascual (Spain) 1:30:40

7. Masumi Fuchise (Japan) 1:31:15

8. Kristina Saltanovic (Lithuania) 1:31:23

9. Elisa Rigaudo (Italy) 1:31:52

10. Susana Feitor (Portugal) 1:32:42