JAMAICA'S WORLD and Olympic 400 metres silver medallist Lorraine Fenton won the one-lap event at the prestigious Lausanne Grand Prix in Switzerland yesterday.
Fenton clocked a 2002 world best 50.39 seconds to easily beat Russia's Olesya Zykina 50.59 and American Jearl Miles-Clark, 51.03, into second and third spots. Jamaican veteran Sandie Richards was fourth in 51.41.
Sprint hurdler Bridgitte Foster established herself as the firm favourite for gold at this month's Commonwealth Games when she equalled the national record of 12.52 in getting silver behind American Gail Devers who won the event in a world-leading 12.40. Another Jamaican, Lacena Golding-Clarke, was sixth in 12.86.
In the women's 100 metres, Tayna Lawrence was again beaten by Marion Jones following her second place finish to the American a week ago. Lawrence the 2000 Olympic bronze medallist crossed the line in 11.13 with Jones winning in 11.04 ahead of her compatriot Torri Edwards who did 11.11 for second. Jamaica's Beverly McDonald was fourth in 11.29.
Former Nigerian world junior champion Francis Obikwelu won the men's sprint double.
Obikwelu, now representing Portugal, first took the 100m in 10.09 relegating top American Tim Montgomery into third, 10.15, in a blanket finish. Japan's was second in 10.12.
World and Olympic champion Maria Mutola cut more than a second off this year's world best time with a convincing win in the women's 800 metres.
In front of an appreciative and enthusiastic crowd at the Olympic Stadium, the 29-year-old Mozambique runner, who has enjoyed more than a decade at the top of her sport, clocked a winning time of one minute and 56.25 seconds.
This was well inside the previous best in the world this year, set by Slovenia's Jolanda Ceplak, who recorded 1:57.63 in Lisbon in May, and the outstanding track performance on a night when new world best performances were set in eight events overall.
The evening's serious competition began with Briton Christopher Rawlinson winning the men's 400 metres hurdles and Maria Concan of Romania defeating Russian rival Yelena Zadorozhnaya in the women's 1,500 metres before this year's world best performances began arriving.
Anier Garcia of Cuba clocked a world best in the men's 110 metres hurdles with a time of 13.03 seconds.
More world best performances for 2002 followed in the men's 1,500 metres in which Bernard Lagat of Kenya, who was runner-up in last year's world championships, clocked 3.32.24, and in the women's javelin and high jump in which Cuba's Osleidys Menendez and Sweden's Kajsa Bergqvist won respectively.
