By Ian Gordon, PA Sport, Paris

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Britain's Kelly Holmes produced another demonstration of her battling qualities to seize 800metres silver at the World Championships in Paris on Tuesday night.

The former Army sergeant who has so often defied an injury-hit campaign to claim a medal did so again to follow home training partner and close friend Maria Mutola of Mozambique who was crowned champion for the third time.

Holmes' success further lifted British spirits by giving the team its second medal following the 100m bronze won by Darren Campbell just 24 hours before and this was just as unexpected with the 33-year-old only opting for the event after arriving in France.

But the outcome immediately raised suspicions of a collusion between athletes of separate countries as the duo repeated the exact tactics they used in the semi-final when they admitted they had a plan.

Holmes went to the front with 200m to go following a slowish opening lap before the defending world and Olympic champion, who has dominated the event for the past few years, sprinted past.

Mutola looked at Holmes as she passed her but the Briton hung on down the home straight to claim her third world medal eight years after she won 1500m silver and 800m bronze in Gothenburg.

Holmes has been training and living with Mutola in South Africa for much of this year and the move paid off despite problems with a calf injury this summer.

Holmes saw her medal chances boosted when Austria's Olympic and world silver medallist Stephanie Graf pulled out after bizarrely cutting her foot when an bottle of mineral water fell on it.

And Britain's medal hopes were given a further massive boost tonight after Greece's Olympic and world 200m champion Konstadinos Kederis pulled out on the eve of the defence of the title he won in Edmonton two years ago.

Kederis, whose has again made infrequent appearances on the track this season, had a final test on a thigh problem at the nearby Stade Charlety today after which his federation decided not to risk him with next year's Olympics in Athens in mind.

The withdrawal is a boost to Britain's trio of 100m bronze medallist Darren Campbell, who took Olympic silver behind Kederis in Sydney in 2000, Christian Malcolm and Julian Golding who launch their challenge tomorrow morning.

Olympic champion Mutola's time was given as one minute 59.89 seconds with Holmes clocking 2:00.18 to fend off fast-finishing Russian Natalya Khrushclelova by just 0.11secs.

Holmes only decided to run the 800m after a disappointing display over 1500m at the meeting in Zurich earlier this month but will now have to decide whether she wants to double up with the longer event starting on Wednesday.

Holmes said: "I amaze myself sometimes.

"This year I have been emotionally, physically and psychologically very low.

"I was nearly going to give up this year because its the lowest I have ever felt.

"I came here not knowing which event I was going to do. My training has been limited and I didn't think I had the ammunition to perform.

"I only made up my mind to do the 800m one day before the first heat, but you have to have a lot of passion and my heart is still in the sport although there are only so many things you can go through.

"But I am a championship runner and my mode changes and I go into the mode where these races are the be all and end all.

"I had a plan and I had to go for it. I was running for gold and I managed to hang on for silver.

"Maria is a great runner and when the best 800m runner has so much belief in you, it gives you so much self-belief."

Mutola said: "Kelly is my training partner and she has had a lot of trouble with injury this year and her spirit was very low.

"She was struggling for motivation. It was my job to motivate her and it is great to see her win silver."

Meanwhile, Commonwealth 400m hurdles champion Chris Rawlinson, who tore his groin after damaging three vertebrae in his back while weight training last month, shrugged off any fitness fears as he qualified for Wednesday's semi-final.

"I was scared stiff beforehand because I didn't know what to expect," said Rawlinson, after finishing second in his heat in 48.73secs.

"I have been flying in training but that doesn't mean you get results.

"I have proved that I am physically in shape and I have to get down on the blocks and believe I can mix it with the rest of them. Everyone is close together, it's a bit like the 100m as anyone can win it."

Rawlinson, one of Britain's remaining medal possibles, came home behind American Joey Woody (48.53) while team-mate Anthony Borsumato also progressed as a fastest loser in another heat 49.16secs.

Earlier, Sale's Lorraine Shaw qualified for Thursday's hammer final in 11th spot overall but Joice Maduaka and Abi Oyepitan both went out of the women's 200m.