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Christie powers home as Hill gets some luck

Sunday 15 August 1993 23:02 BST
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LINFORD CHRISTIE of Great Britain ran the greatest race of his career to win the 100 metres at the World Athletics Championships in Stuttgart last night. In doing so he ran the second fastest time in the history of the event.

Christie, the Olympic champion, beat a formidable field that included Carl Lewis, the world record holder, and Andre Cason who had set the fastest time in qualifying for the final.

Christie made an excellent start and powered down the straight to win in 9.87sec, just one hundredth of a second outside Lewis's world record.

At the age of 33, Christie beat his British and European records by five hundredths of a second. His victory means he is the first runner to hold Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth titles, emulating the achievement of the decathlete Daley Thompson.

'This is the happiest night of my life,' Christie said. 'This is even better than winning the Olympics because everyone was here. Daley was a great athlete but it's my time now. I ran better than I've ever done before - and it means such a lot to me.'

Cason finished second in 9.92sec, another American, Dennis Mitchell, third in 9.99sec and Lewis fourth in 10.02sec.

It was a good day for Britons in the sporting world with the motor racing driver Damon Hill claiming his first Formula One victory when he won the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest.

Hill, driving a Williams-Renault, became Britain's 14th winner of a Formula One race, and the first to follow his father on to the victory rostrum. The late Graham Hill was twice world champion. In the past eight years the only Briton to win grands prix has been Nigel Mansell, who is now competing on the IndyCar circuit in America.

Hill, who has been unlucky in recent races, was able to make the most of others' misfortune, with his team-mate Alain Prost stalling at the start of the parade lap, and Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher being forced to retire with engine trouble.

But the British winning streak did not extend to the US PGA golf championship in Toledo, Ohio. Nick Faldo finished third on 11 under par.

Reports, pages 26, 30

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