IAAF results
August 20, 2009
Friedrich had to settle for third in the end with 2.02 meters, losing on countback against Russian Anna Chicherova. The 25-year-old Vlasic, meanwhile, claimed gold with a jump of 2.04 meters.
Friedrich and Vlasic have been engaged in a tussle at the peak of world high jumping for the past 12 months, with the German coming out on top in three of the four competitions in which they have faced each other this year in the lead up to the current meet in Berlin.
At a Golden League event in Berlin earlier this year, Friedrich leaped to a German record of 2.06 meters - also the highest jump of the year - to take first place. She was bettered only a few weeks later in Monaco, however, when the Croat consigned her to her first second-place finish of the year.
But in qualifying for Thursday's final, Friedrich sent a clear message to her rival by clearing the 1.95-meter qualifying height on her first jump. Vlasic needed a few extra jumps to clear the same height.
Coming into the championships Friedrich was considered one of the German athletes most likely to bag a medal. She is also one of the most recognizable athletes on the track.
Her pink knee-high socks, large sunglasses and bleach-blond hair are unmistakable.
Blistering Bolt
In other news from the world championships, Jamaican running sensation Usain Bolt has smashed another world record.
Bolt won the 200-meter sprint in 19.19 seconds - breaking the record he set at the Beijing Olympics last summer by 0.11 seconds. Panama's Alonso Edwards came in second, trailing by 0.62 seconds, and Wallace Spearmon of the US took bronze. Usain Bolt broke the world record in the 100 meters earlier in the week.
In the men's 100-meter hurdles, Ryan Brathwaite of Barbados took gold after running a 13.14-second race. Terrence Trammell and David Payne, both of the US, came in second and third.
The women's 400-meter hurdles final was won by Melaine Walker of Jamaica in 52.42 seconds. Lashinda Demus of the US finished second, with Josanne Lucas of Trinidad and Tobago coming in third.
dfm/AFP/Reuters
Editor: Susan Houlton