REUTERS
Veronica Campbell of Jamaica (left) crosses the finish line to win the women's 100 metres race at the Zurich Golden League meeting in Switzerland yesterday. Campbell won the race in a time of 10.85 seconds ahead of second-placed world champion Lauryn Williams of the U.S (right) while Christine Arron of France (centre) finished fourth.Wins 100m in 10.85 seconds
ZURICH, Switzerland (AP):
Running in a driving rain, Jamaica's Veronica Campbell won the women's 100 metres in a personal best 10.85 seconds, three-hundredths ahead of world champion Lauryn Williams of the United States, at yesterday's Weltklasee Golden League meet in Zurich, Switzerland.
After triggering a false start, Chandra Sturrup of Bahamas was third in 10.97. France's Chrtistine Arron finished fourth in 10.99.
Jamaica's Sherone Simpson finished eighth in 11.27 seconds.
"I had a good start and executed really well on the first 30 metres," Campbell said. "In Helsinki I made a lot of mistakes but here I executed everything well."
US$1 million jackpot
Russia's Tatyana Lebedeva won the triple jump and remained the only competitor in contention for a US$1 million jackpot after Arron finished fourth in the women's 100 metres.
Lebedeva's winning jump of 14.94 metres, in cold wet conditions, helped make up for her World Championships performance in Helsinki, Finland, where she was forced to pull out of the triple jump final because of an Achilles' tendon injury and did not compete in the long jump.
"At the beginning of tonight's competition I was afraid about my injury," Lebedeva said. "But with every jump it got better and better and I was having no problems at all."
Arron and Lebedeva were the only athletes still in contention for the jackpot, shared between athletes who win their individual events at each of the six Golden League meetings this season.
Lebedeva still must win in Brussels and Berlin, and participate at the September 9-10 final in Monaco.
"I was following what was going on with Christine Arron in the 100 race so I knew I would remain alone in the jackpot if I could only win here tonight," the Olympic champion said. "But there was no pressure at all. I think the pressure will be in Berlin."
SMITH SECOND
New world champion Trecia Smith of Jamaica finished second behind Lebedeva, leaping 14.67. Anna Pyatykh of Russia was third in 14.57.
Arron was never in contention in the 100 metres won by Campbell.
"I had trouble getting into the race because I was still tired from the World Championships. I had nine races there after all," Arron said. "My time today wasn't too bad, so I'm not that disappointed. And it's not like I really lost the jackpot money. And I came here with still three races to go."
Arron, who won the first three Golden League races of the season, had shown signs of weakness, settling for bronze in both the 100 and 200 in Helsinki.
Newly crowned world champion Justin Gatlin won the men's 100 metres.
Gatlin, who won the 100 and 200 in Helsinki, crossed in 10.14 to edge Francis Obikwelu by 0.08, while Aziz Zakari of Ghana was third, also in 10.22.
"The secret to my success is technique, contol and confidence," Gatlin said. "But I'll have to work on my start. I was the last man coming out of the blocks today. But I continued to prove my dominance today. I'm simply a survivor."
Former world record holder Maurice Greene finished last, 25 hundredths behind Gatlin.
DENIED SHOWDOWN
Spectators were denied a showdown between Gatlin and world record holder Asafa Powell who withdrew Thursday because of a groin injury.
The 22-year-old Jamaican tore a ligament in his groin at the Crystal Palace meet in London on July 22 and has not raced since.
Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele, who repeated as 10,000 world champion, won the 3,000 in 7:32.59. Bekele who was using the race to prepare for an attack on his own world record in the 10,000 in Brussels on August 26 defeated Ali Saidi-Fief, who clocked 7:37:56.
American Sanya Richards set the best time of the season 48.92 to win the women's 400 metres, avenging her loss to Olympic champion Tonique Williams-Darling at the World Championships.
The pair came off the last turn together, but Richards edged her rival by .38 seconds. Monique Hennagan of the United States was third in 50.24.
World-record holder Saif Saeed Shaheen of Qatar won the men's 3,000-metre steeplechase in 8:02.69, his 23rd consecutive victory despite falling at the final water pit 150 metres from the finish.
The double world champion, unbeaten since 2002, easily beat World Championship bronze medallist Brimin Kipruto of Kenya, who crossed in 8:10.69. Paul Koech of Kenya was third in 8:11.79.
"I wanted to break the record but when it started to rain, I started thinking it might not happen," said Shaheen, referring to his own world record of 7:53.63. "I have no explanation for my fall. I still have one more race to try for the record in Brussels."
Bahrain's Maryam Yusuf Jamal won the women's 3,000, some consolation for losing in the 1,500 in Helsinki where she was obstructed by Yuliya Chizhenko in the final.
Jamal won in 8:29.45, edging former 10,000 world champion Berhane Adere in second in 8:31.89.
Olympic and world champion Jeremy Wariner of the United States won the men's 400 in 44.67 in a field that included the top seven finishers from last week's World Championships.
Tyler Christopher of Canada was runner-up in 44.96, while Christopher Brown of the Bahamas was third in 44.97. Jamaica's Brandon Simpson finished eighth in 45.5 seconds.
FOSTER SECOND
Reigning world champion Michelle Perry won the 100 hurdles in 12.55. World Champion-ship bronze mnedallist Brigitte Foster was runner-up in 12.69 while Jamaica's other runner, World Champion-ship silver medallist Delloreen Ennis-London, ended fifth in 12.90 seconds.
"Today I didn't attack too much because it was slippery," Perry said. "Winning was all about getting out, which I didn't do so well but then everything went well for me after that."
American Dominique Arnold posted a surprise win in the men's 110 hurdles, defeating Olympic champion Liu Xiang of China, recently crowned world champion Ladji Doucoure of France and former quadruple world champion Allen Johnson of the United States.
"I'm very satisfied because my fourth place in Helsinki was very ungratifying," Arnold said. "I've put my name in the books with my performance today."
Arnold crossed in 13.03, edging Liu who finished in 13.12. Doucoure was third in 13.23 while Johnson trailed in fourth with 13.26.
"What a bad race." Doucoure said. "I did very badly technically. I wasn't concentrated at all. I was still tired after the World Championships."
