World Athletics day two: Bolt and Gatlin battle for 100m Gold

Assuming all goes well in their respective semi-finals, the fastest sprinter in the world this year, Justin Gatlin, and quickest of all-time, Usain Bolt, will go head-to-head on day two at the World Athletics Championships for 100m Gold.

Gatlin, a figure who courts controversy because of two previous doping bans, is odds-on at 4/6 with Coral to finally end the sprint dominance of Jamaican icon Bolt, a tasty 6/5 price to prove he’s still top dog.

If based on times alone, USA athlete Gatlin has posted the better ones this season but, if punters go on producing their absolute best, world record holder Bolt is brilliant value.

The sport needs charismatic showman Bolt to win its blue ribbon event at the championships, as Gatlin’s drugs cheat past and tarnished reputation will be revisited should he emerge victorious.

Other men’s medals will be decided in the field with the hammer and shot put finals taking place. In the first of those, Poland’s Pawel Fajdek is the overwhelming odds-on 1/12 favourite to defend his title after throwing almost a metre further than anyone else in qualifying.

Olympic champion Krisztian Pars disappointed in reaching the final, but is best of the rest at 10/1. British hammer thrower Nick Miller launched the second furthest effort of qualifying at 77m 42cm, but is a 16/1 shot to scoop top honours.

In the shot put, American thrower Joe Kovacs is fancied at 10/11 ahead of defending double World Athletics champion David Storl (evens). They are the only two to go out over 22m this season.