HELSINKI, Aug 6: Olympic champion Justin Gatlin eased into the 100 metres quarterfinals on Saturday on the first day of the World Athletics Championships. However, other Olympic heros struggled as both heptahlon titleholder Carolina Kluft and 400m hurdles champion Felix Sanchez — both also defending their titles here - looked to be up against it with ankle and foot injuries respectively.

Both were still in contention in their events as Kluft lay second to arch-rival Eunice Barber after three events — a good shot put from the champion had reduced the deficit to 32 points — while Sanchez finished second in his heat, though he promptly ripped off his right shoe and hobbled away.

However, one Olympic champion failed even to make it to the start line in the form of Cameroon’s triple jump heroine Francoise Mbango Etone, though, the two-time world silver medallist has been badly out of form since winning in Athens. Two-time triple jump world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Tatyana Lebedeva almost lost her gamble when she put in one jump because of a calf injury she picked up in Oslo last week and then watched as she was almost eliminated finishing second last of the qualifiers.

Another star to drop by the wayside was American shot putting legend John Godina as the three-time world outdoor champion and owner of an indoor title failed to make it through the qualifying round for Saturday evening’s final.

Gatlin looked smooth in strolling in with a time of 10.16sec in his first round heat ahead of Joshua Ross of Australia and Nobuharu Asahara of Japan. “I feel good it was good to get the first round out of the way and get rid of the jitters,” said 23-year-old Gatlin.

“I ran 60 metres and shut it down but its still a pretty good time.

“The track is fast and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to win even if it means breaking the record.”

For Godina, though, there was just misery.

That sort of never-say-die attitude was reflected by Sanchez, who faces foot surgery after the championships, as the American-born Dominican Republic athlete declared.

Barber recorded a season’s best in the opening salvo of the heptathlon as she timed 12.94sec in the 100 metre hurdles ahead of Kluft.

The Swedish glamour girl, who had her left ankle heavily strapped after tweaking it in training on the eve of the championships, took second ahead of Britain’s Olympic bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton.

Barber, who lost narrowly to Kluft two years ago before taking the long jump title, extended her lead after the high jump - 2252 points to 2099 — as she achieved the best height of 1.91 metres while Kluft could make only 1.82m.

The Swede, though, refused to panic.

Her guarded optimism seemed to be borne out as she recorded a personal best in the shot of 15.02m and tested her ankle to the full by jumping up and down several times in celebration to leave Barber with 2993pts to her 2961.

The women’s 3000m steeplechase made its debut on the world championships stage under the watchful gaze of IOC president Jacques Rogge, who is yet to say whether it will be part of the Olympic programme, and it could be that Uganda’s long search for an athletics title is at an end.

The 24-year-old Docus Inzikuru recorded the fastest time of the three heats and put herself in pole position to become the first from her country to win gold since the late John Akii-Bua triumphed in the 400m hurdles at the 1972 Olympic Games.

Three-time women’s 800m champion Maria Mutola has not been in the best of form this season, and although she came through her heat in second place, she did not look all that convincing.

However, the 32-year-old 2000 Olympic champion said she was satisfied, though, she did not sound like someone expecting to land the title.—AFP