GOTEBORG, Sweden -- Gwen Torrence's dream of completing the 100/200 meter double at the World Championships was shattered Thursday when she was disqualified after finishing first in the 200 meter final.
The gold medal went to Jamaica's Merlene Ottey although U.S. team officials lodged an unsuccessful protest.
Torrence crossed the line first ahead of Ottey and Irina Privalova of Russia in the same 1-2-3 as the 100 final.
Minutes later, the fans in Ullevi stadium were stunned when a revised result flashed up on the scoreboard. Torrence, 30, was disqualified for having stepped out of her lane. She had clocked 21.77 to finish three meters clear of her great rivals, who both had 22.12.
In the absence of the injured favorites including Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Heike Drechsler, Ghada Shouaa won the heptathlon ahead of Russia's Svetlana Moskalets and Hungarian Rita Inancsi.
In the first major athletics victory for Syria, Shouaa totalled 6,651 points out of seven events. Moskalets, who led most of the competition, had 6,575 and Inancsi totalled 6,522.
Derrick Adkins won the 400 meter hurdles to maintain the United States domination of the event and in the women's triple jump, Inessa Kravets of Ukraine broke the world record by 0.41 centimeters, taking it to 15.50 to beat Bulgarian Iva Prandzheva and Anna Biryukova of Russia.
The record was a huge improvement over the old mark of 15.09, held by defending champion Biryukova, who won the 1993 world title.
Prandzheva jumped 15.18 and Biryukova leaped 15.08, one centimeter shy of her old mark.
In the men's triple jump, Britain's Jonathan Edwards had also improved the world record earlier this week.
Valentin Kononen of Finland won the 50-kilometer walk well ahead of Italian Giovanni Perricelli and Robert Korzeniowski of Poland.
Kononen, who was second in the 1993 World Championships, finished in a time of 3 hours 43.42 minutes. Perricelli crossed the line in 3:45.11 and Korzeniowski took 3:45.57.
Zambia's Samuel Matete is the only non-American athlete to win the 400-meter hurdles at the World Championships. Ed Moses won it in 1983 and 1987 and Kevin Young triumphed two years ago in Stuttgart.
Matete attacked from the lane inside Adkins' and there also was a late burst from Stephane Diagana of France. As all three stretched for the line, Adkins got there first in 47.98.
Matete was only .043 slower and Diagana collected the bronze in 48.14.
Besides Torrence, two other Americans are trying for double medals in these games. Michael Johnson cruised into the semifinal of the 200 meters one day after he ran the second fastest time ever to win the 400 meters.
And before American shotputter John Godina won the gold on his first toss Wednesday at 21.47 meters, he qualified for Friday's discus final. The last to win that double at a major world meet was American Bud Houser at the 1924 Olympics. ()
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