ASSOCIATED PRESSATHENS, Aug 11: From the genial smile of Marion Jones to the unabashed tears of Hicham el Guerrouj, the World Championships produced some new faces for a new era.

Even though 33-year-old Sergei Bubka was the star of the ten-day meet with his unrivaled sixth World title in the pole vault, a dozen emerging stars found their status confirmed in gold.

And even though the IAAF used the unprecedented step of ``wild cards'' to draw established stars to its premier event, some of the brightest moments were produced by youngsters.

Maurice Green, 23, won the gold in the 100 marquee event, and Jones, just 21, did likewise in the women's 100, putting new life in sprinting at a time when Carl Lewis is retiring and Merlene Ottey is fading.

``I'm definitely here to stay for many years,'' Jones, the only women's double medalist of the World Championships, said. She also won the gold as part of the 400 relay team. Few could match her careless, happy smile during the ten-day championship.

Across the world, young faces made an impact.

Kenya's Sally Barsosio, 19, won the 10,000m, confirming her talent and auguring the advancement of African women in running.

Her compatriot Daniel Komen again showed the depth of talent in the east African nation and, at 21, he dominated the 5,000 like a veteran on Sunday.

And Ato Boldon matched the cockiness of youth when the 23-year-old finally matched his mouth with a gold medal, winning the 200 after promising a world record in the 100 before faltering to a fifth finish in a mediocre time.

El Guerrouj, 22, had already lived through the bitterness of failure when he was tripped out of the 1,500 Olympic final in Atlanta last year. Now was the time for revenge.

From a carefree youngster he came of age overnight. ``He was just joking before. Then he realised how important it all was,'' Morocco's head coach, Aziz Daouda, said.

That became clear on the victory stand, when a stream of tears washed down his face.

Other young gold medalists were Marius Corbett, 21 of South Africa in the javelin and Beatrice Faumuina of New Zealand, 22, in the discus.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.