SEVILLE, Spain (AP) -- Sweden's Ludmila Engquist, competing in between chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer, had the fastest time in first-round heats of the women's 100-meter hurdles today at the World Championships.
 The 35-year-old Engquist, the defending world champion and 1996 Olympic gold medalist, skimmed over the hurdles in 12.62 seconds and advanced to Thursday's quarterfinals.
 "I had a bit of a bad start and not good technique," Engquist said. "But the time is OK. I am very realistic. I will try, but I don't think I can win. I would like to be on the podium."
 She was diagnosed with cancer in late March and had surgery to remove her right breast on her birthday, April 21. Since then, she has made a stunning and inspiring comeback. Her long-term goal is to repeat as Olympic champion next year.
 She has continued to train through four chemotherapy sessions and has two more remaining.
 The courageous Engquist returned to competition July 30 and ran a remarkable 12.68.
 "I don't know how I got this far. I have been training a lot," Engquist said. "Like my doctor said, 'You must lead your normal life.' Normal life for me is to train and compete and I did it."
 American Gail Devers, the 1993 and 1995 champion, also zipped through her first-round heat, winning in 12.80.
 Tomas Dvorak of the Czech Republic fell farther off his world record pace in the decathlon while building his overall lead.
 The defending world champion and Olympic bronze medalist began the day 64 points behind the record pace after the first five events and 36 points in front of runner-up Dean Macey of Britain.
 Dvorak opened the second five-event session by running the fastest time in the 110-meter hurdles, 13.75, and throwing the discus 151 feet, 9 inches.
 That gave him a seven-event total of 6,382 points, 83 ahead of American Chris Huffins, but 109 points off record pace. After seven events during his record performance in July, Dvorak had 6,491 points.
 Three more events -- pole vault, javelin and 1,500 meters -- remained in the grueling two-day decathlon competition in sweltering heat.
 There was a serious question about Michael Johnson's health early this year. There isn't now, and the powerful American 400-meter runner thinks he can break the world record in the World Championships.
 "I know I'm in shape to run faster than 43.29," Johnson said Tuesday night after blistering through the first 300 meters of his semifinal heat and advancing to Thursday night's final.
 American Butch Reynolds set the record in 1988, and Johnson has been chasing it in frustration in recent years. He has come close three times, with clockings of 43.39, 43.44 and 43.49.
 "I just have to make sure I don't make any major mistakes," Johnson said. "The pace should be no problem Thursday."
 It wasn't Tuesday night.
 Johnson blazed through the first 300 before shutting down three different times during the final 100.
 "I shut down one gear on the end of the curve because I saw that I had a little lead, but I was still afraid of losing the lead," he said. "Then when I got to the straight, I shut down a little more because I knew I had a safe lead. I shut down a whole lot with 60 to 70 meters left."
 Still, he finished in 43.95 seconds, only 0.03 seconds off his world-leading time this year.
 While Johnson was speeding around the fast Olympic Stadium track, distance runners Hicham El Guerrouj and Haile Gebrselassie also were impressive.
 El Guerrouj won his second straight 1,500 title in 3 minutes, 27.65 seconds, the fifth-fastest ever; and Gebrselassie took his fourth consecutive 10,000 title in 27:57.27.
 A lightly regarded Russian -- German Skurygin won the 50-kilometer race walk, covering the distance under a broiling sun in 3:44:23 -- more than three minutes ahead of runner-up Ivano Brugnetti of Italy.
 Skurygin, who finished 22nd in his only previous appearance in the World Championships in 1993 and was fifth at this year's World Cup, took the lead at the halfway point and never was seriously challenged.
 Russia's Svetlana Krivelyova, the 1992 Olympic champion and this year's world leader in the women's shot put, led the qualifiers for the final by a wide margin with a throw of 64 feet-1 1/4 inches.
 In Tuesday's other finals, Anthony Washington of the United States won the men's discus on his final throw of 226 feet, 8 inches; Ludmila Formanova of the Czech Republic scored an upset victory in the women's 800 in 1:56.68; Greece's Paraskevi Tsiamita won the women's triple jump at 48-10; and Romania's Mihaela Melinte, the world record-holder in the women's hammer throw, posted her 26th consecutive victory, at 246-9.
 Today's program includes finals in five other events: men's triple jump, 110-meter hurdles and decathlon, and the women's shot put and 400 hurdles.
 The championships were hit by its first two drug cases. Nigerian sprinter Davidson Ezinwa tested positive for a banned hormone and faces a two-year suspension, the IAAF said. Somalian 1,500 runner Mohamed Ibrahim Aden tested positive for a stimulant and received a warning.
 This year, Johnson has been bothered by an imbalance in his hip and pelvic areas and was forced to reduce his schedule. He also pulled out of the USA Championships in June and stopped in midrace during a meet in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 30.
 El Guerrouj and Gebrselassie also were uncatchable once they got away Tuesday night.
 El Guerrouj stayed behind Moroccan teammate Adil Kaouch for 700 meters, then took control. His long, graceful strides carried him to an 10-yard victory over Kenya's Noah Ngeny in the race in which the top five all broke 3:32. Spaniards Reyes Estevez, 1992 Olympic champion Fermin Cacho and Andres Dias finished 3-4-5 before a roaring, capacity crowd of 50,810.
 El Guerrouj, the world record-holder in the 1,500 and the mile, dedicated the victory to Mohamed VI, the new Moroccan king, and said the late King Hassan II, who died in July, "would have been very proud of me today."
 Gebrselassie ran the final 15 laps of the 10,000 with badly blistered feet, the same problem that plagued him while winning the 1996 Olympic final.
 "It was hot and I had problems right from the start with my feet from 10 laps out, but I couldn't do anything but carry on," Gebrselassie, the world record-holder in the 5,000 and 10,000, said after leading a 1-3-4 Ethiopian finish.
 It was his 40th consecutive victory and 55th triumph in his last 56 races at distances from 1,500 to 10,000 since 1995.
 The Ethiopian carefully chooses his 10,000s and runs them to perfection. This was his seventh race at that distance in four years and every one was significant -- three world titles, three world records and one Olympic gold medal.
 American Maurice Greene, the men's 100-meter champion, and compatriot Marion Jones, the women's 100 gold medalist, reached the semifinals of the 200.
 "I didn't feel as sharp as in the past," Jones said after stumbling out of the blocks. "I felt a little winded. Considering all the things I've had in the last couple of days, to come back and run 22.45 is pretty good."

Results

Bert's back on blades Blue Jays boot game Bombers drop Peterson Felicien rebuilds race

How will Canada fare against France in their Davis Cup tie this weekend?   Sweep all matches   Upset win   Tough loss   Thoroughly beaten   Too close to call Results | Story Visit our Polls Archive