ATHLETICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Venue: Olympic Stadium, Berlin Date: 15-23 August
Coverage: Watch the action live and highlights on BBC Two, BBC HD, Red Button, Radio 5 live and the BBC Sport website (video for UK users only)Full BBC coverage details](Sport on the BBC: The best of this week's action - BBC Sport)
**World record holder Usain Bolt booked his place in the 200m final at the World Championships in Berlin with a comfortable semi-final victory.**The Jamaican, who has already claimed the 100m gold, eased through in 20.08 to secure his place in one of the top-four qualifying positions.
Britain’s Marlon Devonish will not join him after finishing a disappointing seventh in the second semi-final.
But countryman Michael Bingham qualified for Friday’s 400m final.
Bingham ran a lifetime best 44.74 in his semi-final to finish second behind American Jeremy Wariner while Irishman David Gillick crossed the line in fourth, but also qualified as a fastest loser.
606: DEBATE
“Bolt looks unbeatable today but someone of Michael Johnson’s calibre could run him close”
Nitebot9
In the final of the men’s 1500m, Bahrain’s Youssef Saad Kamel clinched victory after a rapid final lap that saw Kenyan favourite Asbel Kiprop fail to make the podium.
Devonish admitted that he had got his tactics wrong as he attempted to put himself ahead of heat winner American Wallace Spearmon.
“I’m very disappointed. The plan was to hit the turn as hard as possible, but I couldn’t do that,” he said.
“I think I ran it a little too much like a 100m, a little too aggressive, and I didn’t float like I can.”
Englishmen Martyn Rooney and Rob Tobin both finished seventh in their 400m heats.
Rooney and Tobin were clearly disappointed with performances which did not measure up to their displays in the heats.
“It was pretty poor, I didn’t commit to the race,” said Rooney.
“This was just a stepping stone I think, I have got to take something out of this.”
Tobin added: “That was terrible, I was way too slow over the first 200m.”
In the women’s 100m hurdles semi-final Sarah Claxton struggled to make an impact in a high-quality field as she finished eighth.
But Emily Freeman made her way safely through her 200m heat, coming home second behind Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown in a time on 23.10.
Wednesday night’s finale (2035 BST) is the 800m where British pair Jennifer Meadows and Marilyn Okoro are in action.
Despite the absence of Olympic champion Pamela Jelimo, who pulled up injured in her semi-final, Okoro and Meadows will face a tough task to overcome defending world champion Janeth Jepkosgei.
In the morning session Briton William Sharman qualified for the semi-finals of the 110m hurdles after he finished third in his heat.
However, Englishman Andy Turner’s hamstring injury was clearly still troubling him as he ran 13.73 to miss out on qualification in the hurdles.
Cuba’s Olympic champion and world record holder Dayron Robles is a doubt for the semi-finals after he laboured to third place in his heat.
Robles, sporting a bandaged left thigh, was sixth at the mid-way mark but managed to pull through the field and finish in 13.67sec.
“I feel pain in my left thigh,” said Robles.
606: DEBATE
“Suarez looks far from being a threat in the decathlon judging by the 100m”
JackHughesByZola
"I don’t know what’s going on. I thought it was only a small problem but now I know that I really have a problem.
“I cannot say that I’ll continue to run or not. I’ll talk with the physiotherapist and doctor, and we’ll see.”
American Hardee Trey was in control after the first three events of the decathlon having netted 2814 points.
Meanwhile, decathlon-favourite **Leonel Suarez **made a poor start to end the morning 14th overall with 2505 points.
In the 5,000m Olympic champion and world recorder holder Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia pulled out of the women’s event with an ankle injury.
Dibaba’s compatriot Meseret Defar, the world champion, set the fastest qualifying time, winning her heat in 15.15.45.
In the women’s 200m the opening heats were cancelled because of the low number of entrants with athletes going straight into the quarter-finals in the evening session on Wednesday.