United States sprint great Alysson Felix had a gentle run out in her first round heat at the World Athletics Championships on Thursday as she got her campaign for a fourth 200 metre title under way.
The 27-year-old Olympic champion — who took silver in the event in Daegu in 2011 — can become the most successful athlete in the championships’ history if she wins the title on Friday for her ninth gold.
At present Felix shares the record with legendary compatriots Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson while Jamaican Usain Bolt can equal the eight gold mark if he wins the 200m and Jamaica take the 4x100m relay.
Felix — who has five relay golds — will face a tough fight for her crown from Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who is bidding for a sprint double after regaining her 100m title.
Fraser-Pryce, who won the women’s 100m world title by the largest margin in the history of the world championships, blazed a lone trail through her heat, coming off the bend well clear and then eased up 60m from the finish.
However, both Fraser-Pryce and Felix will do well to keep an eye out for Ivory Coast’s Murielle Ahoure, whose silver medal in the 100m on Monday was the first time that an African sprinter had won a medal in the women’s event.
The 25-year-old — known in her country as ‘the female Drogba’ — won her heat in a gentle canter and looks capable of also becoming the first African to win a 200m medal.
Nigeria’s Blessing Okagabare could also achieve that.
Bidding to reach her third final of the championships — having taken silver in the long jump and was out of the medals in the 100m — the 24-year-old moved into the semi-finals winning her heat beating American Charonda Williams.
The Nigerian — who trains in the United States with 2011 100m world champion Carmelita Jeter — admitted wear and tear was setting in on her body.
“My legs aren’t feeling as fresh obviously as they were the first day of competition,” said Okagabare.