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Bolt, Gay cruise at Berlin track competition

Olympic champion Usain Bolt and reigning world champion Tyson Gay cruised into the semi-finals of the men's 100m on the opening day of the World Athletics Championships in Berlin on Saturday.

Published: 16 August 2009 10:08 CEST
Bolt, Gay cruise at Berlin track competition
Photo: DPA

The first golds of the August 15-23 meeting went to Valeriy Borchin in the men’s 20km walk and Kenya’s Linet Chepkwemoi Masai, who broke a 12-year Ethiopian stranglehold on the women’s 10,000m.

The US team also got its bandwagon rolling when Christian Cantwell won the men’s shot put title ahead of Poland’s Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski, with home favourite Ralf Bartels taking bronze.

In sultry conditions at the Olympic Stadium, it was Bolt’s team-mate and former world record holder Asafa Powell, however, who set the pace in the 100m.

The bronze medallist from the 2007 Osaka worlds looked very comfortable when racing home to win his quarter-final in 9.95sec and refused to ease up as he had done in the opening heats when he was beaten into third.

“I’m fine. I just wanted to get through the day,” Powell said. “The first round in the morning I was just running too easy and I underestimated the other guys.”

Bolt was beaten into second in his heat by training partner Daniel Bailey of Antigua, with the two sprinters easing up and even laughing together as they crossed the line in just over 10sec.

“I’m tired. It’s been an exhausting day,” said Bolt.

In the US camp, defending triple world sprint champion Gay cruised through in the second fastest time of 9.98sec along with his trio of team-mates Darvis Patton, Michael Rodgers and Monzavous Edwards.

But the visibly limping Gay again complained of his nagging injury.

“My groin is sore but, all in all, it went pretty well,” he said.

In what is building up to be a USA v Jamaica sprint-off, Jamaican Michael Frater also qualified for Sunday’s semi-finals, slated for 0955 GMT, with the final scheduled for 1935 GMT.

Briton Dwain Chambers, the world indoor 60m silver medallist who is competing here after having served a two-year doping ban, won his heat in a personal season’s best of 10.05sec ahead of Richard Thompson of Trinidad.

Russian Olympic champion Borchin claimed the first gold of the championships when he won the men’s 20 kilometres walk title ahead of China’s Wang Hao and Mexican Eder Sanchez.

In the women’s 10,000m, Masai produced a stunning back-from-the-dead burst to snatch victory from Ethiopia’s Meselech Melkamu, with Wude Ayalew in third and fellow Ethiopian Meseret Defar in fifth.

“I can’t believe it,” beamed Masai, who took advantage of the absence through injury of defending champion Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia.

“I didn’t give up. The Kenyan team’s plan was to help each other towards the end.”

Melkamu admitted that she had not even seen Masai on her outside at the line.

“I’m very, very disappointed that we lost the gold,” she said.

After the first day of the heptathlon, Britain’s Jessica Ennis remained in pole position on 4,124 points having recorded field leads of 12.93sec in the 100m hurdles, 1.92m in the high jump and 23.25sec in the 200m, and a personal best of 14.14m in the shot put.

Bar the lead putt in the shot, Ukraine’s Olympic champion Nataliya Dobrynska suffered a poor day but still remained in second place on 3,817 points.

The second day of competition on Sunday involves long jump, javelin and the 800m.

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BERLIN

EXPLAINED: Berlin’s latest Covid rules

In response to rapidly rising Covid-19 infection rates, the Berlin Senate has introduced stricter rules, which came into force on Saturday, November 27th. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 27 November 2021 16:16 CET
Updated: 29 November 2021 14:17 CET
A sign in front of a waxing studio in Berlin indicates the rule of the 2G system
A sign in front of a waxing studio indicates the rule of the 2G system with access only for fully vaccinated people and those who can show proof of recovery from Covid-19 as restrictions tighten in Berlin. STEFANIE LOOS / AFP

The Senate agreed on the tougher restrictions on Tuesday, November 23rd with the goal of reducing contacts and mobility, according to State Secretary of Health Martin Matz (SPD).

He explained after the meeting that these measures should slow the increase in Covid-19 infection rates, which was important as “the situation had, unfortunately, deteriorated over the past weeks”, according to media reports.

READ ALSO: Tougher Covid measures needed to stop 100,000 more deaths, warns top German virologist

Essentially, the new rules exclude from much of public life anyone who cannot show proof of vaccination or recovery from Covid-19. You’ll find more details of how different sectors are affected below.

Shops
If you haven’t been vaccinated or recovered (2G – geimpft (vaccinated) or genesen (recovered)) from Covid-19, then you can only go into shops for essential supplies, i.e. food shopping in supermarkets or to drugstores and pharmacies.

Many – but not all – of the rules for shopping are the same as those passed in the neighbouring state of Brandenburg in order to avoid promoting ‘shopping tourism’ with different restrictions in different states.

Leisure
2G applies here, too, as well as the requirement to wear a mask with most places now no longer accepting a negative test for entry. Only minors are exempt from this requirement.

Sport, culture, clubs
Indoor sports halls will off-limits to anyone who hasn’t  been vaccinated or can’t show proof of recovery from Covid-19. 2G is also in force for cultural events, such as plays and concerts, where there’s also a requirement to wear a mask. 

In places where mask-wearing isn’t possible, such as dance clubs, then a negative test and social distancing are required (capacity is capped at 50 percent of the maximum).

Restaurants, bars, pubs (indoors)
You have to wear a mask in all of these places when you come in, leave or move around. You can only take your mask off while you’re sat down. 2G rules also apply here.

Hotels and other types of accommodation 
Restrictions are tougher here, too, with 2G now in force. This means that unvaccinated people can no longer get a room, even if they have a negative test.

Hairdressers
For close-contact services, such as hairdressers and beauticians, it’s up to the service providers themselves to decide whether they require customers to wear masks or a negative test.

Football matches and other large-scale events
Rules have changed here, too. From December 1st, capacity will be limited to 5,000 people plus 50 percent of the total potential stadium or arena capacity. And only those who’ve been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 will be allowed in. Masks are also compulsory.

For the Olympic Stadium, this means capacity will be capped at 42,000 spectators and 16,000 for the Alte Försterei stadium. 

Transport
3G rules – ie vaccinated, recovered or a negative test – still apply on the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses in Berlin. It was not possible to tighten restrictions, Matz said, as the regulations were issued at national level.

According to the German Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, people have to wear a surgical mask or an FFP2 mask  on public transport.

Christmas markets
The Senate currently has no plans to cancel the capital’s Christmas markets, some of which have been open since Monday. 

According to Matz, 2G rules apply and wearing a mask is compulsory.

Schools and day-care
Pupils will still have to take Covid tests three times a week and, in classes where there are at least two children who test positive in the rapid antigen tests, then tests should be carried out daily for a week.  

Unlike in Brandenburg, there are currently no plans to move away from face-to-face teaching. The child-friendly ‘lollipop’ Covid tests will be made compulsory in day-care centres and parents will be required to confirm that the tests have been carried out. Day-care staff have to document the results.

What about vaccination centres?
Berlin wants to expand these and set up new ones, according to Matz. A new vaccination centre should open in the Ring centre at the end of the week and 50 soldiers from the German army have been helping at the vaccination centre at the Exhibition Centre each day since last week.

The capacity in the new vaccination centre in the Lindencenter in Lichtenberg is expected to be doubled. There are also additional vaccination appointments so that people can get their jabs more quickly. Currently, all appointments are fully booked well into the new year.

 

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