World Athletics Championships

Ethiopian sweep

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Top: Ethiopians, gold medalist Kenenisa Bekele (centre), silver medalist Haile Gebrselassie (left) and bronze medalist Sileshi Siline celebrate after the 10,000m finals during the World Athletics Championship at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis outside Paris. Above: a referee flashes a red card at runner John Drummond of the US and disqualifies him for two false starts in the men's 100m quarter final

BERHANE Adere unleashed a devastating sprint finish to claim the first track gold at the World Athletics Championships in the women's 10,000m in Paris.

Ethiopia wrapped up an impressive one-two as Werknesh Kidane followed her compatriot home for silver with China's Yingjie Sun taking a deserved bronze.

Adere, who settled for the runners-up spot two years ago, won the event in 30 minutes 04.18 seconds -- the third-fastest time in history.

Defending champion Derartu Tulu, also from Ethiopia, took part in the race despite suffering from food poisoning but was forced to pull up just after the halfway stage. "I felt weak and decided to quit," she said. "The pace was fast but that was okay for me because I also run the 5,000m."

The Ethiopian's victory also saw her pass another landmark as she became the first woman in history to hold titles in cross-country, road, track and the indoor arena at the same time.

As for the men's 10,000m Kenenisa Bekele out-sprinted his mentor Haile Gebrselassie to head up a clean sweep of medals for Ethiopia. The 21-year-old stuck with Gebrselassie throughout the race before powering past his teammate over the last 150m to steal victory in 26 minutes 49.58 seconds.

Sileshi Siline completed the hat-trick of medals for Ethiopia as he came home in third place. Defending champion Kenya's Charles Kamathi had tried to stick with the trio but he was beaten by the pace and slipped down the field.

"Haile was a great champion and it is a real honour to succeed him as Ethiopian number one," said Bekele.

Gebrselassie, who is dubbed the Emperor, was bidding for his fifth world title but he was delighted to settle for silver behind his fellow countryman.

"It was more important to beat the Kenyans and we did that effectively," he said.

"I am happy with the silver because last time I lost the title to the Kenyans and that was not a happy experience for me. I will try and find a way to beat Bekele!"

No room for mercy

AFTER sobbing on the grass, Jon Drummond's angry protest highlighted a day on which new international rules governing false starts were called into action. Just one chance, the rule declared, and no mercy.

Drummond sprawled on the track, bellowing at race officials who had just red-carded him for a false start. His jaw clenched, he refused to let the 100 metres resume.

There were long delays in completing the quarterfinal heats. The huge crowd turned rowdy. Drummond wept on the grass of an adjacent practice track, then floated in the steeplechase pit.

The drama was so intense, and the acrimony between runners and race officials so raw, that Kelli White's victory in the women's 100 an hour later seemed almost an afterthought. White ran away from the field to win in 10.85 seconds.

Previously, a runner was disqualified only after his or her second false start in a race. Now, the field is allowed one false start. After that, anyone who jumps the gun is out of the race.

The craziness began when Jamaica's Dwight Thomas was called for a false start. Then both Drummond and Jamaica's Asafa Powell were called for leaving their blocks too early.

TV replays were inconclusive, but the official meet computer showed Drummond indeed had left the blocks too early. Drummond's foot may have flinched, which could have told the computer he had left the blocks.

Drummond lay on his back on the track for several minutes, yelling, "I did not move, I did not move," at a race official who stood over him with a red card. He stood up, walked around, then flopped to the track again.

Finally, he arose and ripped off his racing top as he walked away. Then he turned around and fought back tears as he marched to the starting line, where he settled into the blocks.

Thirteen minutes after the false start was called, all the runners in the heat were ordered off the track. Drummond blew kisses to the crowd.

The remaining quarterfinal heats were run, then the runners from Drummond's heat were called back to the start. But, with Drummond sobbing next door at the practice track, the crowd would not let the race resume.

Powell returned to his lane and began warming up. Then a course official confirmed that he, too, had been disqualified and made him leave.

Each time the six remaining runners got into their blocks, spectators at the Stade de France booed and whistled. It took seven attempts before the heat finally took place, 45 minutes after Drummond's disqualification.

Patrick Johnson of Australia, who held the world's fastest time this season of 9.93, finished last and didn't qualify for the semifinals.

"I flinched, the guy next to me flinched and another guy flinched. I didn't understand the rule to mean that a flinch is a false start," Drummond said in a statement released through USA Track and Field. "I protested because this is my livelihood. At this point in my career, for me to lose an opportunity to pursue a dream, it crushes me. I walked away from what I had worked for the whole year."

It was reminiscent of the men's 100 final at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where Britain's Linford Christie refused to leave the track after being disqualified.

Ironically, the winner of Drummond's disputed heat was Ato Boldon, who also was in that 1996 Olympic final. He said Sunday's chaos was "way worse" than the Atlanta situation and blamed it on the International Association of Athletics Federations for its new false start rule.

"We told them this rule was going to do this -- someone was going to get thrown out and ruin the World Championships. That's exactly what they're doing," said Boldon, a friend and training partner of Drummond.

"It's a wrong call. When the machine makes a wrong call, it's all over -- 100,000 pairs of eyes could see, obviously, it was a wrong call."

It was not the first taste of controversy for Drummond. At the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, Drummond ran his opening leg of the 400 relay with an Afro comb tucked in his sock.

"He's still crying. We're making him drink water because he's becoming dehydrated," manager Emmanuel Hudson said two hours after Sunday's race. "If they don't change the rule, it's going to happen again."