Hogan pleased with fifth

Moscow - Victor Hogan has provided the South African team with its highlight of the first four days of competition at the world athletic championships in Moscow on Tuesday night with a fifth place finish in the discus final.

"I'm so happy. I don't regret anything," said Hogan.

After the relative surprise of making the final at his first world championships, Hogan spun his discus out to 64.35 metres with his first throw.

"I prefer it that way as it releases a lot of stress.

"The first trial I was so nervous. I was throwing just after the world number one and two, which put a lot of pressure on me. The first one went well and the second one I tried to perform better."

After the final round it was German Olympic champion Robert Harting who won with a throw of 69.11m.

Hogan was fourth for much of the event, and had high hopes of producing a medal-winning heave.

"I think I was placed fourth I thought I'm so close to a medal and anything can happen, but I just couldn't get a better performance and I lost one place "

Earlier, South Africa's Elroy Gelant secured a place in the 5000m final, following a tactical approach to Tuesday's heat.

"It was a bit of a sprint finish, but I managed to keep up well and I'm very happy to make the final," said Gelant, who finished sixth in the first heat, in 13:25.07.

The 26-year-old had agreed a strategy with Germany's Arne Gabius, Zane Robertson of New Zealand and Brett Robinson from Australia.

"I knew we had to make it fast, so we agreed to share two laps each," he said.

Gelant finished 11th overall, qualifying for the final as one of the fastest losers, while Ethiopian Muktar Edris, who won the second heat, ran the fastest time overall, clocking 13:20.82.

Gelant already had his tactics in place for Friday's final, which, he said, was a stepping stone towards next year's World Indoor championships and earning a place in the Commonwealth Games team.

"Although it's said anything can happen in a final, realistically I will try to stick with the top five and see if I can stay with them.

"I want to try and finish in the top eight."

Fourth day finals results on Tuesday at the World Athletics Championships:

Men:

400 m:

1. LaShawn Merritt (USA) 43.74
2. Tony McQuay (USA) 44.40
3. Luguelin Santos (DOM) 44.52
4. Jonathan Borlee (BEL) 44.54
5. Pavel Maslak (CZE) 44.91
6. Yousef Ahmed Masrahi (KSA) 44.97
7. Kirani James (GRN) 44.99
8. Anderson Henriques (BRA) 45.03

800m:

1. Mohammed Aman (ETH) 1:43.31
2. Nick Symmonds (USA) 1:43.55
3. Ayanleh Souleiman (DJI) 1:43.76
4. Marcin Lewandowski (POL) 1:44.08
5. Andrew Osagie (GBR) 1:44.36
6. Duane Solomon (USA) 1:44.42
7. Pierre-Ambroise Bosse (FRA) 1:44.79
8. Abdulaziz Mohammed (KSA) 1:46.57

Discus:

1. Robert Harting (GER) 69.11
2. Piotr Malachowski (POL) 68.36
3. Gerd Kanter (EST) 65.19
4. Martin Wierig (GER) 65.02
5. Victor Hogan (RSA) 64.35
6. Robert Urbanek (POL) 64.32
7. Vikas Gowda (IND) 64.03
8. Victor Butenko (RUS) 63.38
9. Yennifer Frank Casaas (ESP) 62.89
10. Jorge Hernandez (CUB) 62.88
11. Julian Wruck (AUS) 62.40
12. Mario Pestano (ESP) 61.88

Women:

Pole vault:

1. Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) 4.89
2. Jennifer Suhr (USA) 4.82
3. Yarisley Silva (CUB) 4.82
4. Silke Spiegelburg (GER) 4.75
5. Fabiana Murer (BRA) 4.65
5. Anastasia Savchenko (RUS) 4.65
7. Angelina Zhuk-Krasnova (RUS) 4.65
8. Jirina Ptacnikova-Svobodova (CZE) 4.55
8. Lisa Ryzih (GER) 4.55
10. Kristina Gadschiew (GER) 4.45

20km walk:

1. Elena Lashmanova (RUS) 1:27:08
2. Anisya Kirdyapkina (RUS) 1:27:11
3. Liu Hong (CHN) 1:28:10
4. Sun Huanhuan (CHN) 1:28:32
5. Elisa Rigaudo (ITA) 1:28:41
6. Beatriz Pascual (ESP) 1:29:00
7. Anezka Drahotov (CZE) 1:29:05
8. Ana Cabecinha (POR) 1:29:17
9. Julia Takacs (ESP) 1:29:25
10. Eleonora Giorgi (ITA) 1:30:01

3000m steeplechase:

1. Milcah Chemos Cheywa (KEN) 9:11.65
2. Lydia Chepkurui (KEN) 9:12.55
3. Sofia Assefa (ETH) 9:12.84
4. Hiwot Ayalew (ETH) 9:15.25
5. Etenesh Diro (ETH) 9:16.97
6. Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi (KEN) 9:22.05
7. Valentyna Zhudina (UKR) 9:33.73
8. Antje Mldner-Schmidt (GER) 9:34.06
9. Gesa Felicitas Krause (GER) 9:37.11
10. Eilish McColgan (GBR) 9:37.33

Heptathlon:

1. Ganna Melnychenko (UKR) 6586 pts
2. Brianne Theisen (CAN) 6530
3. Dafne Schippers (NED) 6477
4. Claudia Rath (GER) 6462
5. Katarina Thompson (GBR) 6449
6. Sharon Day (USA) 6407
7. Eliska Klucinova (CZE) 6332
8. Antoinette Djimou (FRA) 6326
9. Karolina Tyminska (POL) 6270
10. Nadine Broersen (NED) 6224