The greatest women's Hammer competition in the history of the IAAF World Championships was crowned with Betty Heidler’s second-round throw of 74.76m to take gold.

Fittingly for such a high-quality night under the floodlights, the result was in doubt until the final round, with Cuba’s Yipsi Moreno and China’s Wenxiu Zhang vying to dislodge the German.

Silver was claimed in the end by the Cuban Olympic silver medallist and former World champion, while Zhang took China’s first ever Hammer medal at World or Olympic level.

Though the championship record of 75.20 survived, other records tumbled. In all, there were nine women over 70m, a feat never before achieved in the World Championships.

All three medallists went over 74m, another unique statistic, and for the first time there was incredulity as Russia was absent from the medals, Russian champion Yelena Konevtseva managing no higher than fifth.

All in all, it was a night best forgotten for Russian Hammer throwing as the second longest performer in history, Gulfiya Khanafeyeva, could not even get over 70m and was eliminated from the final throw-off.

All night long the 70m tape was to be breached no fewer than 25 times and Moreno set the tone with a first-round 72.84.

2000 Olympic champion Kamila Skolimowska (POL) replied with 73.75 to move into the lead.

Heidler started inauspiciously, but there was a confident start from Ireland’s Eileen O’Keefe, moving into fourth with 70.93.

Konevtseva started solidly with 72.45, but it was to be the furthest she was to throw all evening.

At the end of round one the medal positions read: 1.Skolimowska 2.Moreno 3. Konevtseva.

Heidler’s second attempt was 74.76 to take the lead and she walked out of the circle oozing confidence.

Catching the mood, the double Asian champion Zhang hit 73.11 to move into bronze and at the conclusion of the second act the standings were 1.Heidler 2. Skolimowski 3. Zhang.

It was now crunch time for Khanafeyeva. In 11th position, she had to pull out a 70m-plus to get three more throws, but it was not to be. The hammer landed at her best for the evening of 69.08 and she departed in tears.

Looking equally deflated, Konevtseva’s next effort hit the cage, but at least she had survived the cut. But would she be a threat?

Next to depart was Croatian champion, Ivana Brkljacic who had qualified the easiest of all the qualifiers.

Of the three Cuban finalists, two were also to depart the track for good, one of them Olympic bronze Yunaika Crawford.

Then Zhang fouled a long one that would have taken her into second had she not overbalanced and stepped on the edge of the circle.

For the start of the final eight, the medal positions remained unchanged: 1.Heidler 2. Skolimowski  3. Zhang

Round four heralded an attack on the lead that did not quite come off but had an effect on the minor medals

Moreno released a huge one that looked as though it had gone all the way but she immediately sensed it had fallen short and was furious with herself. Nonetheless it was 74.33 and she moved into silver

Now it was Zhang’s turn and at 74.21 she dislodged Skolimowska to go into bronze.

With the fifth round to begin, Heidler was still out in first with Moreno in silver and Zhang in bronze.

No change at the top in the fifth, but Zhang continued her battle with Moreno and slipped back into silver with 74.39.

But in the final round the Cuban was to come back with a huge effort that won her the silver and came agonisingly close to Heidler’s lead, falling short by just 2cm.

That is the narrowest margin of defeat in the history of this event at the World Championships, and a fitting finale to a great competition.

Osaka 2007 News Team/mb