Usain Bolt got the birthday present he wanted from his teammates at the world championships Friday, and Allyson Felix spoiled the party by ending Jamaica's sprint domination. After the Jamaican relay team qualified for the 4x100m final without Bolt on the track, Felix glided to the finish with an elegance reminiscent of a long distance runner to win her third straight 200m world title. With a raised fist and little more than a smile at the finish, Felix broke the Jamaican hold on sprinting dating back to the Beijing Olympics. She held off an early charge from Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica, and once she entered the straight where her stride is at its most efficient, there was no stopping her. “I was very confident about my strength,” Felix said. “I defended my title. I cannot ask for more.” It was the first sprint gold medal for the United States at the championships and Jamaica's first loss. Jamaica beat the United States 5-0 in sprints in Beijing. Earlier, the Jamaican sprint team qualified for the 4x100m relay final, giving Bolt a shot at winning a third gold and setting a third world record at the world championships. The United States was disqualified for an illegal baton change, robbing the championships of a high-powered clash with the Jamaicans. It was the only blemish on a good day for the US, which also got a 1-2 finish in the men's 400m with Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt beating defending champion Jeremy Wariner. The US jumped over Jamaica in the medals table with six golds and 16 overall. Jamaica was second with five gold and 10 overall. The victory of Yaroslav Rybakov in the men's high jump and Sergey Kirdyapkin in the 50-kilometer walk gave Russia four golds and 11 overall. After two gold medals and two world records in six days, Bolt took a rest Friday, centering on signing autographs instead of running as he celebrated his 23rd birthday with the fans at the Olympic Stadium. When he collected his gold for the 200m title and a second $100,000 check for his world record, some 45,000 fans in the stands gave him a heartfelt “Happy Birthday to You” serenade. It was another indication that nothing can seemingly go wrong for the star of the championships. With two records and two golds, he has already won $320,000. It was also clear that the Jamaicans can use all the help they can get from Bolt. With former world-record holder Asafa Powell also sitting out the heat, Jamaica struggled to finish second in its heat behind Italy. The team had the sixth best qualifying time overall. The only shadow hanging over the team was whether Powell would be able to make it to Saturday's final because of an injury problem. It was unclear what that injury was, however. “We are not sure about Asafa running,” anchor runner Dwight Thomas said. Bolt has won the 100m and 200m with world record times at the championships. He also won all three events at the Olympics. Bolt is the backbone of a Jamaican sprint team which has been a perfect 3-for-3 so far at the championships. After dropping the baton in Beijing, the United States appeared to run a clean enough race to set up the defense of its world title, but a protest that they had exchanged batons outside the designated zone quickly threw the result up in the air. Russia made it a perfect three-for-three in the walks when Kirdyapkin used a late surge to win the 50k event, the longest of the nine-day championships. Kirdyapkin was as imposing as Valeriy Borchin and Olga Kaniskina were over 20km, giving Russia a clean sweep in the discipline. Dani Samuels won the gold in the women's discus with a throw of 65.44 meters to give Australia its first medal at the world championships. Midway through the session, thunder, lightning and a massive downpour delayed events for almost an hour. Ogoegbunam tests positive The IAAF says Nigerian hurdler Amaka Ogoegbunam has tested positive at the world championships and has been provisionally suspended. Ogoegbunam was disqualified from the semifinals of the 400m hurdles Tuesday. IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said Friday that Ogoegbunam tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid metenolone after the race. Steeplechaser Jamal Chatbi of Morocco is the only other positive athlete of the championships so far.
