The United States won two gold medals on the first day of the 12th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain, on Friday, while Nigeria took the other one on offer.
American Christian Cantwell won the first gold at the championships, taking the title in the men's shot put after beating defending champion and compatriot Reese Hoffa into second place.
Cantwell, the world indoor champion in 2004, won with a throw of 21.77 meters, 57 centimeters more than Hoffa's 21.20 meters.
Tomasz Majewski of Poland won the bronze medal with a throw of 20.93 meters, setting a new national record.
In women's 60 meters, American Angela Williams captured the gold medal in a time of 7.06 seconds, bettering this year's previous best result of 7.09 held jointly by Nigerian Ene Franca Idoko and Russia's Yevgenia Polyakova.
Jeanette Kwakye from Britain finished in 7.08 seconds to collect the silver medal, while Tahesia Harrigan from the British Virgin Islands took the bronze with 7.09 seconds.
Nigerian Olusoji A. Fasuba foiled the U.S. attempt to sweep all the three gold medals of the night, winning his first world indoor title in men's 60 meters with a world best time this year.
Fasuba clocked in 6.51 seconds, ahead of Briton Dwain Chambers and Kim Collins from Saint Kitts and Nevis, who finished jointly second with an identical time of 6.54 seconds.
"This was my third try (at the world indoor championships). I worked very hard for it. I'm very happy," Fasuba told the spectators at the Palau Velodromo Luis Puig stadium.
The 23-year-old was fifth in 60 meters at the last World Indoor Championships in 2006 in Moscow, and fourth in 100 meters at the outdoor World Championships in Osaka, Japan, last year. He also won the silver medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
The silver-medal performance was quite special for Briton Dwain Chambers, who is on his second comeback following his drugs ban.
He is banned from competing at the Beijing Olympic Games by the British sports authorities and, according to the world's leading promoters will not be invited to the major Grand Prix events around the globe.
Chambers has said he would fight for his right to the Olympics and a medal in Valencia would be crucial for his bid.
In qualification sessions on Friday, two-time defending champion Yelena Isinbaeva of Russia easily sailed into the final of women's pole vault.
Isinbaeva finished first with a clearance of 4.55 meters in the qualification session Friday evening with only one attempt. Her major rival and compatriot Svetlana Feofanova and American Jennifer Stuczynski also safely went through to the final.
"I feel great. I did a good jump, and I'm feeling in a really good shape," said Isinbaeva. "Tomorrow I will do my best."
The Russian broke her own world indoor record with 4.95 meters in Donetsk, Ukraine, on Feb. 16 this year. However, her 23-competition unbeaten streak was halted by Feofanova in Bydgoszcz, Poland, recently.
It would be no easy task for the Russian Olympic champion as both Feofanova and Stuczynski have the same personal best of 4.88 meters and the same season best of 4.71 meters.
Meanwhile, seven-time champion Maria de Lurdes Mutola of Mozambique was safely through to the semi-finals of women's 800 meters after finishing first in her heat at the qualification session on Friday.
The 35-year-old Mutola, who is also a three-time outdoor world champion and Olympic champion in Sydney, clocked 2:04.82 to be placed 11th overall from the heats. The top 12 finishers from the heats competition entered the semi-finals.
Mutola, the four-time defending indoor world champion, is expected to announce retirement before the end of 2008.
Tetiana Petlyuk of Ukraine came in first after finishing with 2: 00.40, followed by Jennifer Meadows of Britain with 2:00.60, and Romanian Mihaela Neascu with 2:00.79.
The semifinals of the event will be held on Saturday afternoon with the final scheduled for Sunday.
The Valencia worlds opened on Friday morning, which will conclude on Sunday.
A total of 646 athletes from 157 countries and regions are participating in the tournament, the last major athletics event before the August Olympic Games in Beijing.
Source: Xinhua
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