UPDATED: Dobriskey claims 1500m silver in controversial final

From James Toney and Tom Oldfield, Sportsbeat, in Berlin

 LISA Dobriskey has revealed how a Beijing video nasty inspired her to 1500m silver at the World Athletics Championships.

AT LAST: After her near miss at last year's Olympics, Lisa Dobriskey was delighted with 1500m silver but was just one hundredth away from gold

Last year Dobriskey mistimed her finish in the Olympic final and was forced to settle for an agonising fourth.

This time around the Commonwealth champion, whose season has been overshadowed by injury, made no mistakes.

However, it could have been so much better.

Spain’s Natalia Rodriguez initially took gold but was rightly disqualified after she barged Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka to the ground with 200m to go.

Reigning champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal then just held off a fast-finishing Dobriskey by a thickness of a vest - and just one hundredth of a second - to claim second.

American Shannon Rowbury was promoted to bronze after Jamal was installed as the champion.

“I didn’t really want to be the silver medallist by default and I was happy to stick with the bronze,” said Dobriskey.

“It now means I missed the gold by a fraction – I don’t want to think about that. I’ve spent the whole of last year thinking ‘what if’ but I can honestly say there was nothing left today.

“I just could not finish fourth again because I’ve driven my fiancé and my family absolutely up the wall with the DVD from Beijing – and all the tears and tantrums.

“There won’t be any more tears now.”

SO CLOSE: The agonising margin that separated Lisa Dobriskey from 1500m gold in Berlin (Seiko)

Dobriskey ran a sensible race but only just avoided a tumble when Rodriguez brought Burka crashing to the track.

“I thought I was going to go down as well,” she added.

“I learnt a lot from last year and we’ve worked on not giving the other girls too much respect. I can’t afford to give them a five or ten metre head start – they’re just too strong and too fast.

“It was such a true championship race – with all the pushing and shoving. It really made me realise that I’m a true championship performer now.”

Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele held off the determined challenge of American Bernard Lagat to add 5,000m gold to his 10,000m title.

Lagat overtook the front-running Bekele on the final corner but he responded in style in a close-quarter sprint finish.

Qatar’s James Kwalia C’Kurui claimed bronze while Great Britain’s Mo Farah – sixth in Osaka two years ago  - was forced into seventh as he struggled with the electric pace of the final lap.

“I was trying to avoid getting boxed in and then take as many guys out of the equation as possible,” said Farah.

“I just couldn’t go with it. I tried to put myself in the right position but I just didn’t have the kick. I was really hurting with 400m to go.

“I was coming round the bend thinking hang in there and then they changed gears again – I’m disappointed."