The 39-year-old Yamile Aldama, who has previously competed for Cuba, her native country, and Sudan, won gold in the triple jump two years after finally securing the British passport she had sought since moving to the country with her Scottish husband in 2002.

And a silver medal was added by the American-born team captain Tiffany Porter, who finished runner-up in the 60m hurdles two days after being challenged at a press conference to prove she was British by singing the National Anthem.

Porter took silver behind Australia's world outdoor champion Sally Pearson, while Aldama earned her first global title with an second round effort of 14.82 metres – her best since 2005.

And a third came from former drugs cheat Dwain Chambers, whose bronze in the 60 metres just 48 hours before the Court of Arbitration for Sport are due to decide whether the British Olympic Association should be allowed to continue implementing their Olympic life ban for serious doping offenders

Aldama suffered a hamstring injury with her third attempt but did not need to jump again, with Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan taking the silver with 14.63m and Mabel Gay of Cuba claiming bronze with 14.29m.



"Better late than never," a delighted Aldama (pictured) said.

"This is my first world title, 12 years after winning my silver in Seville.

"This gold is for my mom and my children and a great motivation for London."

Asked about being labelled a "Plastic Brit" earlier this year, Aldama said at the time: "I laugh.

"I didn't come to Britain for athletics.

"I fell in love and wanted to start a new life.

"If anybody had a choice they would say, 'I want to compete for my own country' but Cuba did not give me that choice.

"I didn't get my British passport when I should have or I'd never have competed for Sudan."

Aldama originally applied for a British passport more than a decade ago after meeting and marrying Andrew Dodds, a Scot studying Spanish in Havana.

The pair planned to get married in the summer of 2001, but Aldama discovered she was pregnant so they moved the wedding forward to April and Aldama agreed to move to England and, in her words "start all over again."

They settled in east London but in 2002 Dodds was arrested after the police discovered heroin at a warehouse rented in his name in Barking.

He was later sentenced to 15 years in prison but was released in 2009 and the pair have since had a second child together.

"I hope they [the kids] have been watching, especially the oldest who is 10," Aldama said.

"Before I came to the track he told me 'Mummy you have to win"'.

And asked today about fresh controversy over switching nationalities, Aldama added: "Of course I feel British.

"I have been in the country for 11 years.

"What more could you ask?

"I do everything I have to as a British citizen, my kids are British, 60 per cent of my friends are British.

"Britain is home."

In the hurdles, Pearson made the most of a stunning start to storm to win in 7.73sec.


Chambers (pictured centre) was unable to defend his 60m title, but was happy to claim bronze behind American Justin Gatlin (right) and Jamaica's Nestor Carter (left).

Gatlin - who like Chambers has also served a drugs ban - won in 6.46sec, with Chambers taking third by the narrowest of margins ahead of American Trell Kimmons, with both athletes given a time of 6.60.

Asked about competing against Gatlin, Chambers said: "I have no problem with the guy, we've all made mistakes.

"I've owned up, he's owned up and we just have to get on with it now."

Ashton Eaton of the United States set a world record in winning the men's heptathlon title, but the home nation celebrated the loudest with two medals.

Eaton improved his own record by 77 points over the two days of competition, finishing a massive 574 points ahead of Ukraine's Oleksiy Kasyanov, with Russian Artem Lukyanenko in third.

"It feels good," Eaton said.

"I knew I could break the world record.

"Everything was good, I didn't have any bad event.

"It's a good beginning to the season and I will now be preparing for the Olympic trials, which are very competitive in the US."


Turkey's medals both came in the 1500m, with Ilham Tanui Ozbilen (pictured) claiming silver in the men's race behind Morocco's Abdalaati Iguider and Asli Cakir Alptekin taking bronze in the women's race won by Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia.

Alptekin said: "I am very delighted since this is a historical win for Turkey.

"My target was to be in the final and winning a medal is a big surprise.

"I felt the energy and the power from the crowd.

"It made me believe that I could have a medal."

Elsewhere, New Zealand's Valerie Adams won the women's shot with 20.54m in the final round and France's Renaud won the pole vault with a world-leading clearance of 5.95m.


American Chaunte Lowe won a hard-fought high jump final as the only woman to clear 1.98m, with five women clearing 1.95m.

Russia's Anna Chicherova took silver on countback ahead of Italy's Antonietta Di Martino.

But there was a surprise in the men's 400m where world outdoor champion Kirani James of Grenada could only finish sixth in a final won by Nery Brenes of Costa Rica.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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