Usain Bolt and Sally Pearson both safely negotiated their way through qualification at the world championships today as Yelena Isinbayeva backtracked over her apparent support of Russia's anti-gay law.
Two-time defending world champion Bolt cruised his 200m heat in his bid for a third successive title in the event.
The 26-year-old Jamaican, who won the 200m titles in Berlin in 2009 and Daegu in 2011 and is also double Olympic champion and world record holder, eased up with fully 40 metres to run, clocking an easy-going 20.66sec.
"I'm feeling good. I'm not a morning person. I worked really hard this week," said Bolt, who has been nursing a sore foot.
"It's feeling better," he said. "I have worked on it for the last four days."
Australia's defending world 100m hurdles champion Pearson comfortably won her heat to advance to Saturday's semi-final alongside a strong quartet of Americans: Olympic champion Dawn Harper, Brianna Rollins, Queen Harrison and Nia Ali.
"It was difficult running out there because it was half in the sun and then half in shade," said Pearson, who has struggled to regain her 2011 world title-winning form after a debilitating hamstring injury.
"I screwed up the last two hurdles," she said. "I have been dying to get started. I got great inspiration for the race watching the 4x400 boys last night."
Off the track, Russian pole vault star Isinbayeva was the centre of a backlash from activists and fellow track and field legends after backing Russia's controversial new anti-gay law and saying competitors at the Sochi Winter Olympics should respect it.
Isinbayeva on Thursday came out in support of the law signed by President Vladimir Putin in June which punishes the dissemination of information about homosexuality to minors.
