Gong Lijiao wins China's first medal at World Indoor Championships from women's shot put

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Gong Lijiao of China competes during the women's shot put final of the IAAF World Indoor Championships at Arena Birmingham in Birmingham, Britain on Mar. 2, 2018. Gong Lijiao took the bronze medal with 19.08 metres. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

World champion Gong Lijiao captured China's first medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championships here on Friday as she won the bronze in the women's shot put final.

The 29-year-old Gong, who also won two silvers and four bronzes at past Olympics and World Championships, took the lead with a throw of 18.98 meters in her second attempt. But Hungary' Anita Marton, who finished second behind Gong in last year's London worlds, produced a world-leading 19.48m in round three to pull ahead.

Jamaica's Danniel Thomas-Dodd responded with 19.22m to overtake Gong and stay at second. Little happened in rounds four or five, but the competition ended with a trio of 19-meter throws.

Gong, who had resumed training just six weeks ago after suffering a knee injury this winter, rounded out her series with a season's best of 19.08m and Thomas-Dodd ended with 19.07m.

Gong Lijiao of China competes in the women's shot put final during the IAAF World Indoor Championships at Arena Birmingham in Birmingham, Britain on Mar. 2, 2018. Gong Lijiao took the third place with 19.08m. (Xinhua/Han Yan)

But Marton, saved her best throw for the final round and sent her sphere out to a world-leading national record of 19.62m and became her country's first-ever world indoor champion.

"I am not satisfied with my result," said Gong, who has a personal best of 19.93 meters. "But I have nothing to blame. This is my first competition this year. If I were given one more month's time of training, I would have won the gold medal easily."

Gong's teammate Gao Yang finished fourth with a personal best of 18.77.

In the long jump final, Cuba's Juan Miguel Echevarria became the youngest man ever to win a world indoor title in a field event, with a world-leading leap of 8.46m.

Leading from the opening round, Echevarria sparred with the heavily favored world champion Luvo Manyonga of South Africa nearly blow-for-blow in the second half of the competition before becoming, at age 19 years and 203 days, the youngest field event gold medallist at an indoor world championships.

Manyonga won silver with 8.44m and American Marquis Dendy took bronze with 8.42.

China's 19-year-old Shi Yuhao finished fifth with 8.12m and his teammate Huang Changzhou was 10th with 7.75m.

Murielle Ahoure of Cote d'Ivoire soared to an emphatic 60m victory in a world-leading 6.97 seconds to finally step atop of the medals podium following her silver medal runs at the 2012 and 2014 editions of these championships.

The 30-year-old, who finished fourth in the 100m at last year's World Championships in London, followed up her world-leading 7.01 in the semifinal earlier in the afternoon with a time that bettered her 6.99 personal best, set in the same Birmingham venue back in 2013.

Ahoures compatriot Marie-Josee Ta Lou finished second in a personal best of 7.05, replicating her finish from the 100m and 200m at last year's World Championships.

Switzerland's Mujinga Kambundji matched Ta Lou's 7.05 to take the bronze.

China's Liang Xiaojing, 20, who won the Asian Indoor Championships last month, failed to qualify for the final as she finished seventh in her group at the semifinals. Another Chinese sprinter Wei Yongli was stopped in the heat.

Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson claimed her first global title with victory in the pentathlon. The 25-year-old scored 4,750 points from five events to win the host country's first gold medal.

Austria's Ivona Dadic won silver with 4,700 points and Cuba's Yorgelis Rodriguez took bronze with 4,637.