Yelena Isinbayeva... pole vault gold.

Yelena Isinbayeva, the greatest woman pole vaulter of all time, thrilled a partisan home crowd roaring her every jump when she landed the third and probably last world title of her illustrious career yesterday.

The Russian, twice Olympic champion and world outdoor record holder, was the only vaulter to clear 4.89 metres.

It was a season’s best leap for the 31-year-old, the first woman to clear the revered five metres barrier, who said before the championships that she would retire.

American Olympic champion Jenn Surh took silver and Cuban Yarisley Silva bronze. Both failed at 4.89 after clearing 4.82.

After a nervous start when she failed with her first attempt after entering the competition at 4.65, a measure of her confidence with her rivals already up and running, Isinbayeva grew in stature.

With a chorus of “Yelena Yelena” reverberating around the Luzhniki stadium, the biggest crowd of a poorly attended championships so far, each clearance was greeted by a caco-phony of approval.

Isinbayeva rewarded the support with punches in the air and squeals of delight. When gold was assured she ran to the crowd and embraced her coach.

Milking the moment and urging the crowd to raise the decibel level further, she asked for the bar to be raised to 5.07, one centimetre above the world record she set in 2009.

Three unsuccessful attempts followed but it could not spoil the former gymnast’s celebrations as she set off for a lap of the track which featured a cartwheel and back-flip.

On the track, LaShawn Merritt returned the United States to the top of the 400 metres podium as a grimacing Mohammed Aman hurtled to the front in the final 10 metres to become the first Ethiopian to win an 800 metres world title.

Merritt produced a commanding performance but defending champion Kirani James faded badly to finish a surprise seventh.

Merritt sealed victory in a world-leading 43.74 seconds.

Compatriot Tony McQuay was second in 44.40 and fast-finishing Luguelin Santos, of Dominican Re-public, edged out Belgium’s Jonathan Borlee for bronze in 44.52.

Aman, the only man to beat world record holder David Rudisha since 2009 and pre-race favourite in the absence of the injured Kenyan, pipped American Nick Symmonds for victory in 1:43.31. Djibouti’s Ayanleh Souleiman was third.

It was Ethiopia’s first world gold at a distance below 5,000 metres.

Ukrainian heptathlete Ganna Melnichenko won her first major title yesterday and Canadian Brianne Theisen Eaton earned a silver medal to hang next to husband Ashton Eaton’s gold.

With 68 points separating the top two going into the final 800 metres event, Theisen Eaton needed to finish 4.69 seconds ahead of Melnichenko to take gold but the Ukrainian shadowed her rival round the two laps.

She collapsed on the track after crossing the line and held her head in disbelief as the final result flashed up, bringing the hundreds of Ukrainians in the crowd, easily recognisable in bright blue and yellow T-shirts, to their feet.

Germany’s Robert Harting won his third successive world discus title in impressive style when his 69.11 metre throw, the fourth-longest of the season, was too good for perennial runner-up Piotr Malachowski of Poland who took another silver.