Pre-race favourite Rashid Ramzi lived up to expectations by winning Bahrain's first World Championship gold medal in the men's 1500m final in Helsinki. The 25-year-old Moroccan-born runner won in three minutes 37.88 seconds.
Adil Kaouch of Morocco took silver in 3:38.00 and Rui Silva of Portugal - third in last year's Olympics - claimed a bronze again in 3:38.02.
America's Alan Webb paid the price for attempting to break the field with 600m to go and finished ninth in 3:41.04.
The bell went and Ramzi eased past Webb while Ukraine's Ivan Heshko went onto his shoulder and briefly threatened to go past.
But Ramzi took off round the final bend and as Heshko weakened Kaouch came into the picture but had too much ground to make up.
Silva produced one of his trademark finishes but it was too little too late as he lost out in a photo finish to Kaouch.
Two star names were absent from proceedings however.
Defending champion Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco has been ill and Kenya's Olympic silver medallist Bernard Lagat has just switched to the United States.
MMIX
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