Discus favourite Perkovic delivers gold

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Croatian Sandra Perkovic went into the world championships as one of the hottest favourites in Moscow and duly delivered on Sunday as her 67.99 metre throw added the title to her Olympic gold of last year.

Perkovic of Croatia competes during the women's discus final at World Athletics Championships in Moscow

Perkovic, who missed the last world championships through a doping ban, had the four longest throws of the year to her name before Moscow and her nearest challenger, China's Siyu Gu, then failed to make the final.

The Croat took that tally to five with her second-round throw of 67.99 and was never seriously threatened.

Melina Robert-Michon won her first major medal 15 years after finishing second in the world juniors as the 34-year-old Frenchwoman took silver with a national record 66.28, half a metre beyond her previous best.

Cuban Yarelys Barrios threw 64.96 to add another bronze to her collection.

(Editing by Justin Palmer)