BEIJING - Day two of the 2015 IAAF World Championships ended with a thrilling 100m showdown between the greatest of all time and the greatest of 2015. Usain Bolt took down Justin Gatlin, running 9.79 to Gatlin’s 9.80. This is Bolt’s third 100m world title. Read more on the men’s 100m here. Gatlin still holds the fastest time in the world this year, a blazing 9.74. Young NCAA Champions Trayvon Bromell (Baylor) and Andre De Grasse (USC) tied for third in 9.92 and will share the bronze medal.

Jessica Ennis-Hill won the women’s heptathlon in storybook fashion. Competing in only her second full hep since the London Olympics, where she won gold, Ennis-Hill was a force throughout the entire competition.

In the women’s 800m, the final event, Brianne Theisen-Eaton took the pace out in 1:02 for the opening 400m, with only Ennis-Hill following along. At 150 to go, Ennis-Hill made her move and they finished in 2:10.13 and 2:11.52, respectively. Ennis-Hill is now the fourth woman to win both world championship and Olympic gold.

Genzebe Dibaba controlled the semifinals of the women’s 1500m, recording a 4:06.74, the fastest of the evening. Dibaba took a different approach to the race, hanging in the middle of the pack through 1000m and making a deadly move at the bell lap. Americans Shannon Rowbury and Jenny Simpson advanced to Tuesday’s final by each placing fifth in their respective rounds. Kerri Gallagher and Lauren Johnson both finished eighth in their heats and will not be in the final.

Joe Kovacs won Team USA their first medal on the men’s side of the championships (second medal overall) with his spectacular 21.93m performance to win the men’s shot put. Kovacs’ win is the first for the U.S. at the world championships since Christian Cantwell’s in 2009. Cantwell was scheduled to throw in the final but suffered a back spasm after the morning prelim session and was forced to scratch from the competition.

Big Names Go Out In Men's 800 Semi-Finals, Rudisha & Tuka To Clash In Final

In the men’s 800m semis, newcomer Amel Tuka won his heat in 1:44.84 to set up a thrilling championship race against world record-holder David Rudisha, who ran 1:47.70 to win his heat. Botswana’s Nijel Amos, a heavy favorite heading into the championships, did not advance to the final.


David Rudisha ended a six race losing streak to Nijel Amos in today's 800 semis, as Amos unbelievably failed to qualify for the final

Defending World champion Mo Aman was disqualified for running into the Netherlands' Thijmen Kupers with 200 to go in Heat 1. Aman would have made it to the final were it not for his DQ, as his 1:45.01 third place finish was good enough to time-qualify.

With Aman DQ'd, Nick Symmonds feuding with USATF, and Ayanleh Souleiman focusing on the 1500, none of the medalists from the 2013 World Championships 800 will be in the final on Tuesday in Beijing.

Rudisha, the 2011 World champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, has a season's best that is more than a second slower than the world-leader Tuka this season, and has had trouble finishing races well throughout the year. However, removing Amos from the final is a tremendous boost for the Kenyan, who had lost his previous six races to the 21-year-old before finally getting the better of him tonight. 

Amos and Aman's absence from the final leaves the door open for Rudisha, who has scarcely looked like the world record holder that he is this season, to win a World title Tuesday in Beijing. But first, he must get through the young upstart Tuka, who continues to amaze this season. 

If Tuka can avoid a poor tactical race like he ran today, he should be able to challenge the Kenyan. The Bosnian record holder has come out of nowhere in 2015 to become the fastest man this season in the 800, lowering his PR from 1:46 to 1:42.51. We spoke to Tuka after his semi-final win today in Heat 3, where he revealed that he's only been running competitively for six years, as he previously was a student of karate. 

The idea of the 24-year-old Tuka being the man tasked with taking down Rudisha for a World title would have been laughable before this summer, but Tuka has shown the ability to close hard this season, with his hard-kicking 1:42 win in Monaco being the greatest example. 

Tuesday will be the first time that Tuka and Rudisha have ever raced each other, and it's in a World Championships final. When Rudisha was setting the 1:40.91 World record three years ago in London, Tuka was a lowly 1:48 guy that no one had heard of. 

Now, he's the co-favorite to win the 2015 World title with the greatest half-miler to ever live. Never give up on your dreams, kids. 

Tuka would be wise to follow the example of the departed Amos, who has beaten Rudisha repeatedly this season by striking hard with a powerful last 100m. Tuka has shown the ability to do this on multiple occasions this season, but given the pressurre of a Worlds' final and seeing that it's his first matchup with Rudisha, it's not guaranteed that he'll have the finishing speed to catch King David. 

Will experience (Rudisha) or the hot hand (Tuka) win out on Tuesday? Or will another contender rise to the occasion to spoil their fun?

One guy that certainly can't be forgotten about is the guy who beat Rudisha at the Kenyan Trials, Ferguson Rotich, who finished second behind Tuka today in the third semi in 1:44.85. 

Americans Clayton Murphy and Erik Sowinski bowed out of their semifinals, running 1:46.28 and 1:47.16, respectively.

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In the men’s 400m hurdles, Americans Kerron Clement and Michael Tinsley advanced to the final. 2015 world ranked No. 2 Johnny Dutch had an off-race, finishing fifth in his heat and failing to advance to the final. The U.S. came into Beijing with the top two ranked times of the season in Bershawn Jackson and Dutch, but both failed to qualify to the final in Beijing.

Day 2 Morning Session

The men's 20K race walk began bright and early with Miguel Angel Lopez of Spain winning in 1:19:14. Current world record-holder Yusuke Suzuki of Japan did not finish, one that was billed as a new world record race.

All three Americans advanced to the next round in the 400m hurdles. Cassandra Tate left the session with the fastest time of the morning, running 54.27 to win her heat. Kori Carter (56.22) was third in her heat, while world leader Shamier Little leaned at the line to take fourth (56.47) in the final section. The semi final round takes place tomorrow in the evening session. 

History Is Made In Men's 400 First Round

The 400m prelims got off to a historically fast start. For a race that requires three rounds, you don’t normally see two men breaking the 44-second barrier. In fact, heat two of the men's 400m was only the second time two runners went under 44-seconds in the same race at the World Championships. In 2007, Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt accomplished this feat.

But that was in the final. This is the flippin' first round, people!

Saudi Arabia’s Yousef Al-Masrahi and Jamaica’s Rusheen McDonald both ran 43.93 in heat two. That time is the fastest non-final mark in WC history. Only the legend himself, Michael Johnson, has run faster before the final. Additionally, Al-Masrahi became the first Asian to break 44-seconds.

Maybe it’s beginners luck but you have to wonder how this will affect them throughout the rounds. Seasoned veterans Kirani James (44.56) and defending champion LaShawn Merritt (44.51) eased up to win their respective sections. Americans David Verburg, Vernon Norwood and Bryshon Nellum (with a new PB of 44.65) also advanced to the next round.

Tori Bowie and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce both ran 10.88 in their respective heats to set the tone for this women’s 100m battle. The time is the fastest mark ever run in the first round at the world championships.



Americans Jasmine Todd (11.29) and English Gardner (11.16) also advanced to the next round.