In the men's and women's sprint events, all the main contenders made it through their semi-finals to set up some mouth-watering action in the finals.

On the track, Hug took gold, ahead of Sho Watanabe of Japan and Canada's Jean-Paul Compaore, in a time of 23min 4.75sec to become a three-time world champion.

The 27-year-old London 2012 double silver medallist never looked in danger of being caught as he cruised home in the last 100m of the race, to add to the titles he won in Christchurch in 2011 and Assen in 2006.

"I am very happy, I did the perfect race and reached a good top speed," said Hug, who is competing in five other events at this year's IPC World Championships.

"It was my first competition so I had to save some energy for the coming ones.

"I feel confident for the next days."

Another reigning world champion, Briton Hannah Cockroft also retained her crown in the women's T34 200m setting a new championship record of 31.76 in the process.

The double Paralympic gold medallist comfortably won her race and said afterwards: "I was favourite with no great challenge.

"However it was a bit harder today with the heat and the rivals improving.

"I want to keep on going breaking records and winning medals."


Away from the track, seven more gold medals were decided which saw four world records set during competition.

The first of those went to the Ukraine's Roman Pavlyk who bettered his own previous mark by 11 centimetres on his way to winning the men's F36 long jump competition.

The Paralympic champion jumped 5:44m to finish ahead of Polish pair Mariusz Sobczak and Marcin Mielczarek.

Another Polish athlete, Maciej Lepiato, broke his own world record also in the men's F42/44 high jump, clearing 2:13m to beat the mark he set at London 2012 by 0.01cm to claim a second world tile in a row.

"It's a very good day for Poland and for me winning a gold medal and breaking a record is fantastic," said the Paralympic gold medallist.

In the men's F33/34 javelin, Paralympic champion Mohsen Kaedi from Iran added the world title to his collection with a world record throw of 14:71m having already set new records three times during the competition.


Britain's Aled Davies, who won gold in the F42 discus at London 2012, won shot put gold here in Lyon with a world record throw of 14.71m.

Spain's David Casinos successfully retained his world title to add to the Paralympic gold he won last year with victory in the men's F11 discus, while T46 long jump gold went to Paralympic champion Fuliang Liu of China.

Mexico's defending world champion threw a new championship record of 11:43 in the women's discus event just three centimetres ahead of Bulgaria's Stela Eneva, with Algeria'sNassima Saïfi winning bronze.

Meanwhile, back on the track another new world record was set by American Jarryd Wallace as he ran 22.32, to best teammate David Prince's time of 22:47 set at the US trials last month, during the T44 200m semi-finals.

Prince and fellow American Jerome Singleton also looked in good shape as they qualified from the heats.

Americans dominated the women's T54 200m sprints too.

Sisters Tatyana and Hannah McFadden finished first and second in their heat, with Tatyana setting a personal best time of 28:41, while Cheri Madsen also won her semi-final with a personal best time.

Tatyana also made it through to the final of the T54 5,000m, winning her semi-final in 12:07.60, which sets up a mouth-watering clash with Switzerland's Manuela Schär and her compatriot and Paralympic champion Edith Wolf-Hunkeler in tomorrow's final.


Double Paralympic gold medallist and former world champion Jason Smyth of Ireland cruised through the men's T13 200m semi-finals setting the fastest time of the day, while Namibia's Ananias Shikongo and defending champion Lucas Prado of Brazil look like the men to beat in the T11 200m following routine victories in the semi-finals.

In the women's T53 200m final, China's Huang Lisha and the US' Angela Ballard will renew their rivalry from London 2012, which saw the Chinese athlete finish ahead of the American to claim Paralympic gold, following respective wins in their semi-finals.

Italy's Annalisa Minetti and Colombia's Arango Buitrago Maritza won their semi-finals in the women's T11 800m, while Turkey's Sümeyye Özcan and defending champion Miroslava Sedláčková of the Czech Republic go through as fastest losers.

In the women's T12 200m, World Championship bronze medallist Libby Clegg from Britain qualified for the final alongside China's Paralympic silver medallist Guohua Zhou and Ukraine's Oxana Boturchuk, and they will be joined by fastest runner-up Hanka Kolníková of Slovakia.

The IPC Athletics World Championships will continue through to July 28.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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