Shelly-Ann Fraser, the only contender in the field with no major championship experience, made it a 100 metres double for Jamaica last night when she blitzed the women's final in 10.78 seconds.
Second to teammate Kerron Stewart at the Jamaican championships at the end of June, Stewart reversed that placing last night, and then some. She was two metres clear of teammates Sherone Simpson and Stewart, who dead-heated for second.
It was also an historic clean sweep of the medals, giving the Caribbean sprint powerhouse its first ever sweep in Olympic history.
After Usain Bolt won the men's 100 the previous night by two metres, the one certain thing about the women's race seemed to be that that margin would cover the whole field. Take out Fraser and it would have: there was 0.22 seconds between second place and Torri Edwards of the USA in last.
Another night, another bolt; but this time the 21-year-old Fraser really was a bolt from the blue.
From the gun, it was all Jamaica. The yellow vests were dotted through the field, Simpson in lane one, Fraser in three and Stewart in seven. But in the last 50 metres, it was the only colour you could see. Williams, silver medallist in Athens four years ago, was fourth in 11.03 and her teammate Muna Lee next. But there was no stopping Jamaica this night, just like the night before. On this form, the Caribbean nation will give the might USA a real fight for the sprint relay medals later in the week. Now what a thing that would be.
Yuliya Nestsiarenko of Belarus, the surprise gold medallist in Athens four years ago, finished fifth in the second semi-final and missed the final. On form, it was no surprise, but then again, on form her win four years ago was.
Gulnara Galkina-Samitova of Russia, who came into the world championships in Osaka last year as world record holder and found a way to lose, finishing seventh, set a new world record in winning the 3000 metres steeplechase.
Russian performances are not without a taint of suspicion at the moment, but 30-year-old Galkina-Samitova has been a fine runner over distances from 800 to 5000 metres for almost all of the decade. The writing was on the wall for the steeple here when she ran 14:33.13 for 5000 metres earlier in the year.
Galkina-Samitova led from start to finish, clocking eight minutes 58.81 seconds to take almost three seconds off the record she set four years ago. Eunice Jepkorir of Kenya outsprinted Ekaterina Volkova of Russia for second, 9:07.41 to 9:07.64.
Spain's Marta Dominguez hit the third last hurdle with the knee of her trailing leg, tumbled over, and crashed heavily into the track on her back. She was challenging for a medal at the time but no threat to the winner.
Asbel Kiprop of Kenya, still a junior and already fourth in last year's world championships 1500, won his semi-final of the 1500 last night to advance to tomorrow's final. Kiprop came from last with 450 metres to run to cruise all the way around the field through the final lap to win in 3:37.04. Morocco's Abdalaati Iguider was second.
Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain won the other semi in 3:37.11, with last year's world 1500 and 5000 metres champion Bernard Lagat sixth and missing advancing to the final as a fastest non-automatic qualifier by two hundredths of a second. He is also running the 5000, the heats of which are on Wednesday.