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American Trey Hardee struck gold in the men's decathlon at the World Athletics Championships ahead of Cuban Leonel Suarez and Aleksandr Pogorelov of Russia.

In the absence of Olympic champion and compatriot Bryan Clay, Hardee amassed a world lead of 8,790 points, with a late surge by Olympic bronze medallist Suarez seeing him finish on 8,640, and Pogorelov at a personal best of 8,528.

On the first day of competition, Hardee ran the 100m in 10.45 seconds, long jumped 7.83m, shot put 15.33m, high jumped 1.99m and ran 400m in 48.13sec.

The second day saw the 25-year-old American clock 13.86sec in the 110m hurdles, manage a best of 48.08m in the discus, 5.20m in the pole vault and 68.00m in the javelin before rounding off with 4:48.91 in the 1500m.

Hardee was happy to coat-tail Pogorelov around the first lap at the back of the 17-strong 1500m heat won by Sweden's Nicklas Wiberg .

With the big Russian struggling alongside defending world champion Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic, Hardee pulled away but was eventually reeled back in and just nipped at the line by Pogorelov.

But that counted for nothing and Hardee was crowned champion of the gruelling 10-sport, two-day event.

Sebrle eventually finished 11th with 8,266 points, while overnight leader Oleksiy Kasyanov of Ukraine in fourth with a personal best of 8,479.

Ryan Brathwaite of Barbados won the World Championship 110 metres hurdles gold in Berlin in a thrilling finish where the first three were divided by only a hundredth of a second.

Brathwaite, 21, took the honours by the thickness of his vest in 13.14 seconds.

Terrence Trammell of the United States had to settle for silver for the fifth time in a global competition as he was awarded second ahead of compatriot David Payne after both finished in 13.15.

World record holder and Olympic champion Dayron Robles of Cuba failed to make the final after pulling up injured during his semi-final earlier in the day.

Jamaican Olympic champion Melaine Walker ran the second fastest women's 400 metres hurdles of all time to win the world title in 52.42 seconds.

Walker stormed down the straight to overtake American Lashinda Demus, the 2005 world silver medallist who missed the 2007 worlds for the birth of her twin sons.

Demus finished in 52.96 with Josanne Lucas of Trinidad the bronze medallist in 53.20.

The world record in the event is 52.34 seconds by Russian Yulia Pechonkina.

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AFP / Reuters