TRACK & FIELD

Kynard finishes 5th at world championships

Toledoan Erik Kynard finished fifth with a leap of 7 feet, 7.25 inches in the men’s high jump final at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow on Thursday.

MOSCOW — Bohdan Bondarenko of Ukraine cleared a meet record 2.41 (7 feet, 10.75 inches) meters to win the gold medal in the men's high jump Thursday at the world championships.

Rogers graduate Erik Kynard finished fifth with a final mark of 2.32 meters (7-7.25) after taking silver at the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London.

Olympic bronze medalist Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar improved to silver this time, clearing 2.38. Derek Drouin of Canada earned the bronze by also clearing 2.38.

Reigning Olympic champion Ivan Ukhov of Russia finished fourth at 2.35.

17-year-old flirts with 1,500 meter lead

For a lap, teenager Mary Cain was right there, near the front of the pack and on the heels of teammate Jenny Simpson.

The 17-year-old — youngest ever in a 1,500-meter final at the world championships — was thinking big.

Only she faded and faded as the race went on, until she was running last at one point. Cain rebounded to finish 10th out of 12 runners in a race won by Abeba Aregawi of Sweden, with Simpson taking second.

It was quite a bountiful medal night for the Americans, with Dalilah Muhammad and defending champion Lashinda Demus finishing 2-3 in a 400 hurdles race won by Zuzana Hejnova in 52.83. Michael Tinsley lost by a fraction of a second in the men's 400 hurdles as Jehue Gordon outleaned him at the finish in a world-leading time of 47.69.

That brings the U.S. medal haul to 14 for the championships.