PICS: McLaughlin breaks 400m hurdles World record

Images from the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday, Day 8.

Sydney McLaughlin broke her own world record to win the women's 400 metres hurdles final at the World Championships on Friday after the American powered home in 50.68 seconds.

The Olympic champion had the lead before the back turn and finished several metres clear of silver medallist Femke Bol of the Netherlands and U.S. compatriot Dalilah Muhammad.

The 22-year-old slashed 0.73 seconds off her previous mark of 51.41 set at the same springy, speedy Hayward Field last month, becoming the first woman to run under 51 seconds in the event.

It was the sixth time in three years that the world record has been broken, after Russian Yulia Pechonkina's mark had stood for 16 years.

Norman digs deep to give US 400m gold

Michael Norman finally delivered on the big stage on Friday as he dug in with a gritty performance to win gold against a stacked field in the World Championships 400 metres final and continue the American gold rush on home soil.

Norman has had a succession of disappointments in recent seasons and was under massive pressure after coming into the race as the fastest in the world this year, but he held his form in a charge to the line to triumph in 44.29 seconds.

Kirani James of Grenada took silver in 44.48 while Matthew Hudson-Smith, who has had a wretched time with injuries in recent years, collected bronze in 44.66 for Britain.

Only three men have broken 10 seconds for the 100m, 20 seconds for the 200m and 44 seconds for the 400m and two of them – Norman and South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk – were in Friday’s final. Newly-crowned 100m champion Fred Kerley is the other.

World record holder Van Niekerk, short of racing after a series of injuries, was unable to sustain his challenge, fading to finish fifth, but there were plenty of others breathing down Norman's neck.

After a stellar college career, the American was favourite ahead of the last World Championships but, hampered by a hamstring injury, did not make the final.

Hoping to make amends at the Tokyo Olympics he finished fifth in the final, way off his best time, in a performance he said left him "devastated and confused".

This year he has been in great form and went sub-44 seconds twice on the same Hayward Field track in May and June, piling on the expectation and the pressure that comes with it even though he is still only 24.

There was little between the leading four men coming off the final bend but Norman edged past James and held a half-metre lead all the way home.

Second place gives James a neat collection of gold, silver and bronzes from both the World Championships and the Olympics.

Long-striding Hudson-Smith, a former European junior champion, held off charging American Champion Allison for third.

Miller-Uibo wins women's 400m in year's fastest time

Bahamian double Olympic gold medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo added another jewel to her crown on Friday by winning her first 400 metres title at the World Championships in the fastest time of the year.

The field never had a fighting chance as Miller-Uibo came charging down the back straight and had the lead coming out of the final turn before slowing through the finish.

She crossed the line in a blazing 49.11, nearly half a second clear of Dominican Republic's Marileidy Paulino, who passed Sada Williams of Barbados to take silver.

Resting flat on her back on the Hayward Field track, she breathlessly told the crowd in Eugene, Oregon, that the moment was "a blessing".

"To get this one I'm really happy," she said.

"It's a very tough race to run ... I'm very happy with the performance."

She had previously collected silver in Beijing and Doha and 200m bronze in London.

Barber retains javelin title with world-leading throw

Australian Kelsey-Lee Barber retained the women's world javelin title on Friday as her world-leading third-round throw of 66.91 metres gave her an emphatic victory, while the minor medals were both secured in the last round.

American Kara Winger launched her sixth throw of 64.05m to take silver while Haruka Kitaguchi also pulled out a superb final 63.27m to become the first Japanese woman to win a javelin medal in a World Championships or Olympics.

China's Liu Shiying (63.25m) and Australian Mackenzie Little, who threw a personal best 63.22m, were left empty-handed after sitting in medal positions after five rounds.

Nobody, however, threatened Barber, who joins 400m runner Cathy Freeman as the only Australians to retain a world title having taken gold with a last-round throw in 2019.

"I am just really soaking up the moment, it was a world of emotions," she said. "It's always the goal to peak at the right moment and today was always the goal.

"I always believed I had the capacity to go back-to-back. I am cementing my place as one of the world's best javelin throwers and I want to keeping building on that."

Winger thanked her husband, who is now her coach.

"It is what I dreamed about but I am still it disbelief that it actually happened," she said. "I have always been a stubborn wife and not listened to his good ideas until this year, when he was my coach.

"I knew he was going to support me no matter what but I am so happy to make him proud."

Kitaguchi, who trains in the Czech Republic, which has a rich heritage in the event, was in the medal positions early on but slipped back, only to come good at the end.

"The first for Japan so I made the history," she said. "Now, it is a bronze but it's not over. My goal had been to make the top eight in the final but now I will be working harder and harder to win gold next time."

US get baton home safely to reach men's 4x100 relay final

The United States have a woeful recent record in the men's 4x100 metres relay at the World Championships but their quartet got the job done in Friday's heats despite the added pressure of running on the home track.

The crowd at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon cheered after each handover by the Americans, who since winning gold at the 2000 Sydney Games have suffered a series of disqualifications and disappointments at the World Championships and Olympics.

American teams have won only three World titles since 2001 and failed to top the podium at the Olympics since Sydney.

Christian Coleman got the Americans off to a speedy start before handing off to Noah Lyles, who showed little sign of fatigue after winning 200m gold on Thursday.

Elijah Hall's handoff to Marvin Bracy was far from perfect but the 100m silver medallist powered through to the line to bring the Americans home in 37.87 seconds, ahead of Britain and Ghana.

Nigeria and Japan were disqualified from heat 1 due to violations.

In the other heat, Olympic gold medallist Andre De Grasse helped Canada advance to the final after they finished second to France, with South Africa finishing third.

Olympic champions Italy were without Tokyo gold medallist Marcell Jacobs due to injury and will miss Saturday's final after finishing seventh in their heat.

US, Jamaica set up another women's sprint relay showdown

The United States landed the first blow in the "phoney war" of the women's 4x100m relay on Friday as their shadow squad qualified fastest for the final, with perennial rivals Jamaica solid enough but with so much more to come.

The US squad of Melissa Jefferson, Aleia Hobbs, Jenna Prandini and Twanisha Terry were spot-on with their changeovers to come home well clear in the second of two heats.

The Americans clocked 41.56 seconds and have some quicker individuals to bring in for Saturday's final.

The Jamaican shadow squad did what was needed, getting the baton safely round to finish second behind Britain in 42.37s in the first heat.

Jamaica's "big three" - Shericka Jackson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah - who swept the 100m podium and raced the 200m final on Thursday, were all rested.

Jamaica and the United States have each won four of the last eight world titles and between them took eight of the last 10 Olympic golds.

They will need to avoid any changeover fumbles to continue that run though as Britain, regulars on the podium in global competitions over the last decade, also looked good.

Daryll Neita ran an impressive anchor after a succession of sharp changeovers as they posted 41.99 seconds and they have Dina Asher-Smith to come into the team.

Spain and Italy both clocked national records to advance, along with Germany, Nigeria and Switzerland.

Garcia wins inaugural World 35km, emulates Korzeniowski’s race walk double

Peru’s Kimberly Garcia won the first ever 35km race walk to be held at the World Athletics Championships, a week after securing gold in the women’s 20km event.

As in the earlier race, she was followed home by Poland’s Katarzyna Zdzieblo and China’s Qieyang Shijie.

In earning both race walking golds at a global championships, the 28-year-old from Huancayo emulated the great Polish race walker Robert Korzeniowski, who won the men’s 20km and 50km events at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

As in the 20km race walk, Garcia went early to the lead and remained there, although she was accompanied for half the race by the Pole.

She crossed the line in a South American record of 2:39:16 seconds, four minutes inside her previous best and enough for equal third on the world all-time list, with Zdzieblo taking silver 2:40:03s and Qieyang, who was virtually alone for the whole race, earning bronze in an Asian record of 2:40:37s.