Two years ago, Michelle Perry was still a heptathlete who could hurdle a bit. Tonight, through a grimly determined lunge for the finishing line, the American retained her status as 100m Hurdles World champion after a race in which she only took the lead after 99 metres. Or maybe 99.5.

Perry clocked 12.46sec, just 0.01sec outside her world leading mark, having dived ahead of the equally fast-finishing, but more upright Perdita Felicien, Canada's 2003 World champion, who clocked a season's best 12.49.

Third was 32-year-old Delloreen Ennis-London, the Pan-Am Games champion who had taken World silver behind Perry two years ago, and returns to the podium thanks to a tremendous surge off the final barrier.

And bundled to the ground as she crossed the line, out of the medals and out of all luck was Susanna Kallur. With Felicien drawn to her left and Perry to her right, the European champion had a glint in her eye before the start, as if to say that she had no inferiority complex about the north Americans in this race.

And from the blocks, the 26-year-old was away clear to the first barrier, and getting away by the second flight.

Perry had started poorly, and Kallur's closest challenger by midway down the straight was probably Ginny Powell, drawn all the way over by the main stand, in lane 9.

Felicien applied pressure on Kallur, though, and there was a sense that the blonde Swede tightened up off the eighth barrier.

By now, Perry was at last into her running and closing fast. But would it be fast enough?

Felicien caught Kallur over the final flight, while Perry and Ennis-London applied the power in the last stride. It was a classic blanket finish, but for Perry.

She would not settle for a judges' decision, and off her final stride, the 28-year-old Californian hurled herself towards the finish as if nothing in the world mattered. Kallur was brushed aside, as if knocked over in the rush, her only consolation being the fastest time of her life, 12.64.

Osaka 2007 News Team/sd