Barbora Spotakova provided the highlight of the first day of the world athletics final with a world record in the women's javelin.
Javelin mark improved in Stuttgart
Barbora Spotakova provided the highlight on the opening day of the world athletics final in Stuttgart with a world record in the women's javelin.
The Czech athlete launched a throw of 72.28 metres to add 58 centimetres to the mark set by Osleidys Menendez of Cuba three years ago.
Spotakova, the reigning world and Olympic champion, earned a $100,000 bonus for the world record, in addition to her $30,000 first-place prize.
British athletes struggled on the first day of the two-day meeting.
Lisa Dobriskey produced the best performance when she placed fourth in four minutes 7.72seconds in the 1,500m as world champion Maryam Jamal of Bahrain clinched the winner's purse in 4m 6.59s.
Rooney off target
Martyn Rooney took fifth in the 400m, clocking 45.82s, well behind the United States' Olympic gold and silver-medallists La Shawn Merritt and Jeremy Wariner who again finished first and second, the former winning by a hundredth of a second in 44.50s.
Olympic high jump silver-medallist Germaine Mason cleared 2.26metres for sixth place as Andrey Silnov, the Russian who beat him for the gold medal in Beijing, won with a height of 2.35m.
Goldie Sayers finished sixth behind Spotakova in the javelin with a best effort of 58.04m.
Mo Farah was ninth over 3,000m in 8m 5.97s as Bernard Lagat of the USA won in 8m 2.97s.
Helen Clitheroe placed ninth in the 3,000m steeplechase with 9m 39.72s, Russia's Olympic champion Gulnara Galkina setting a championship record of 9m 21.73s.
Marlon Devonish, who will compete in the 200m on Sunday, finished last in the 100m with a time of 10.37s. Former world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica won in 9.87s.
Also on Sunday, Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu goes up against American rival Sanya Richards in the 400m.
