By Mike Rowbottom in Daegu

dai_greene_celebrates_gold_in_daegu_01-09-11September 1 - Dai Greene, with a gold medal in the 400 metre hurdles, and Hannah England, with an unexpected silver in the 1,500m, lifted British spirits that were beginning to droop ever so slightly here, despite the high merit of the silvers won by Jessica Ennis in the heptathlon and the silver in the 10,000m from Mo Farah, who qualified in searing heat for Saturday's 5,000m final.


Greene, the European and Commonwealth champion, overhauled Puerto Rico's Javier Culson to finish in 48.26sec and claim Britain's first win in Daegu.

"I am just overwhelmed," Greene said.

"I cannot believe it happened to me.

"I've been working so hard for this over a number of years and I always believed I could make it."

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The Berlin silver medallist, who clocked 48.44, on the other hand, was distraught after the line, holding his head in his hands.

"I got desperate in the last too hurdle and lost my pace," Culson said.

"I had the gold in my hands but let it go."

Bronze went to South Africa's LJ van Zyl.

An extraordinarily fluctuating women's 1500m final, which saw Morgan Uceny of the United States and Kenya's Hellen Obiri crash to the track as they came round the top bend for the second last time, finished with Jennifer Barringer Simpson doing a passable impression of Kelly Holmes after the 2004 Olympic 800m - a wide-eyed, disbelieving winner.

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Perhaps the 25-year-old, who stands only 20th in this year's world rankings, was still trying to credit how her wide run down the final straight had taken her from fourth to first in the space of 40m as she passed the woman who seemed destined to collect the title from which she was disqualified at the last World Championships, Natalia Rodriguez.

And the Spaniard had to settle for bronze as Britain's England looked briefly as if she was going to overtake the overtaker, running even wider than the American to move from fifth to second in the closing stages.

As for the defending champion who was seeking a third successive title, Maryam Jamal of Bahrain - she faded away to last place, behind even the pair who had to pick themselves up and start again, finishing in 4min 22.67sec - a little more than 22 seconds slower than the time she posted earlier this season to head the world lists.

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Lashinda Demus of the US won the 400m hurdles in 52.47, going out hard early as she often does, but staying strong to the finish, as she sometimes doesn't.

She took the title from the Olympic champion, Jamaica's Melaine Walker, who finished in 52.73.

Ukrainian Olha Saladukha won the triple jump with 14.94 as Cuba's double world champion Yargelis Savigne, struggled with a thigh injury and could only manage sixth place with 14.43.

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