MOSCOW, August 12 (R-Sport) - The women's 100-meter final at the world athletics championships has the making of a classic showdown between Jamaica and the United States after Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Carmelita Jeter topped the field in the semifinals in Moscow on Monday.
Fraser-Pryce, the Jamaican reigning Olympic champion, won the third and final heat at 10.87, while Jeter, the defending world champion, and Ivorian Murielle Ahoure were nose to nose at 10.95 to lead heat two.
Jeter finished with silver behind Fraser-Pryce in London.
The rest of the eight-strong field shaped up expectedly with charismatic US national English Gardner, who is proving to be one of the breakout stars of these championships, ran 11.00, off her impressive 10.94 first-round qualifying time.
Jamaica's Kerron Stewart joins Fraser-Pryce in the final while Alexandria Anderson and Octavious Freeman make it four Americans who will race later Monday night for a shot at the podium.
Blessing Okagbare, the Nigerian multi-sport sensation, who already holds long jump silver from the Moscow championships, won the first heat at 11.08.
The championships are without perennial contender Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica, who was forced to sit out after testing positive for a banned substance.
