U.S. ties golden mark; teen sweeps distances

HELSINKI, Finland - Lauryn Williams led the United States to victory in the 400-meter relay for her second gold medal of the week, and Dwight Phillips won his second straight long jump title Saturday to help the Americans match their best showing ever at the world track and field championships.

Ethiopian teenager Tirunesh Dibaba clinched an unprecedented long-distance sweep, beating three compatriots for the 5,000 title in a meet-record time of 14 minutes, 38.59 seconds - the second Ethiopian rout in a week. On the competition's opening day, Dibaba led a sweep in the 10,000.

In a day made for golden doubles, Morocco's Jaouad Gharib defied stomach pains to successfully defended his marathon title with a burst of speed to leave the opposition trailing with about 7.5 miles to go.

Williams, who won the 100 on Monday, ran a blazing anchor leg to win her second gold medal of this year's competition.

"I was sort of hoping for two gold medals all the way through," she said.

With her hair tied up in Mickey Mouse ears to match the tattoo on her thigh, Williams took the baton and never let Olympic champion Jamaica get close over the final stretch, finishing in a season-best 41.78 seconds. Belarus took bronze.

Last year, Williams dropped the baton in the final at the Olympics.

"There was a little added pressure after last year's mishap. I just wanted to get it around," Williams said.

Allyson Felix, the 200 champion, could have won her second gold, but the coaches decided to stay with the team that ran Friday's heats.

"Allyson had the option of running and she wasn't very comfortable as the first leg," Williams said. "No one is upset abut not being able to run the relays."

The victory gave the United States 13 golds, matching the championship record it set in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1993. It has 24 overall, two shy of the record set in Tokyo 1991.

It could have been more had the men's 400 relay team not dropped the baton in Friday's heats. France's Ladji Doucoure, the 110 hurdles champion, led his country to gold Saturday to upset Trinidad and Tobago. Britain took its first medal, a bronze.

Phillips blew away all opposition on his first jump, matching his personal best of 28 feet, 2 inches and making the biggest jump in the world over the past five years.

Ignisious Gaisah of Ghana took silver and Tommi Evila gave Finland its first medal in the competition with a bronze.

Russia was second in the medal standings with five golds and 15 overall, and the Ethiopian sweep pushed the African nation into third with three golds and eight overall.

With about 330 yards to go, Dibaba and her teammates burst away from the pack. Meseret Defar kept up with Dibaba until the final 55 yards, but could not withstand Dibaba's final acceleration.

Dibaba's older sister, Ejegayehu Dibaba, took bronze.

The Ethiopians also swept the 10,000.

"I am very happy for the sweep. I wanted my teammates to run well, too. I am proud of Ethiopia and Africa," Tirunesh Dibaba said.

In the 400 hurdles, Yulia Pechonkina kept her unbeaten outdoor record this year going, dipping under 53 seconds with a season-best 52.90 to hold off Americans Lashinda Demus and Sandra Glover.

Nadezhda Ostapchuk of Belarus won the shot put with a throw of 67-3, beating Olga Ryabinkina of Russia and Valerie Vili of New Zealand.

Morocco's Gharib joined Abel Anton of Spain as the only men to win back-to-back world marathon titles.

Anton accomplished the feat in Athens in 1997 and Seville in 1999.