Justin Gatlin (left) of the United States and Asafa Powell of Jamaica congratulate each other after winning separate 100-metre dash races at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon yesterday. - REUTERS
EUGENE, Oregon (CMC):
JOINT 100-METRE world record holder Asafa Powell was outpaced by his main rival American Justin Gatlin, while his Jamaican teammates did not win an event at the Prefontaine Classic yesterday at Hayward Field.
Running in separate heats, both Powell and Gatlin won, but the American set the standard in heat one, equalling the meet record at 9.88 seconds, dismissing teammate Leonard Scott (10.16) and Jamaican World Championships silver medallist Michael Frater (10.17).
After hearing that their June 11 clash at Gateshead in London was cancelled after the American pulled out, Powell response was a wind-aided 9.93-second victory.
With a 2.5 metre-per-second tail wind (over the allowable limit of 2.0 m/s), Powell beat Gatlin's training partner Olympic 200-metre champion Shawn Crawford (10.04) into second, while on the rise American sprinter Jason Smoots was third (10.05).
Trinidad and Tobago's Commonwealth Games bronze medal winner Marc Burns was fifth in 10.14 seconds.
SINCLAIR RACE
Jamaican Kenia Sinclair could not repeat her silver medal winning Commonwealth Games performance when she beat Mozambique's veteran Maria Mutola.
In Melbourne, Sinclair ran a brave race and finished with silver while the multiple world champion had bronze, but they switched roles in the two-lap event at the Pre Classic, where Mutola toppled the youngster.
Mutola clocked one minute 58.86 seconds, while Sinclair was not too far off at one minute 59.00.
Guyana's Marian Burnett (2:01.94) and Grenada's Neisha Bernard Thomas (2:02.25) finished seventh and eighth, respectively.
Commonwealth Games champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton was third in the women's sprint hurdles in 12.74 seconds, behind American World Champion Michelle Perry, who won in 12.63, over Nigeria-born American Damu Cherry (12.64).
SIMPSON SECOND
In the women's 100 metres, Jamaican Sherone Simpson was second in 11.12, behind 2003 world champion Torri Edwards who clocked a rapid 11.08 seconds.
Jamaican Commonwealth Games winner Sheri Ann Brooks was seventh in 11.48 and Bahamian Chandra Sturrup eighth in 11.58 seconds.
Sanya Richards continued her dominance of the women's 400 metres this season with a solid 50.89 seconds win over Jamaican Shericka Williams (51.29), with Mexican Ana Guevara third in 51.62 seconds.
American Lashawn Merritt captured the men's one lap race in 44.88 seconds, beating Congo's Gary Kuaka (45.03) and defending meet champion, Jamaican Michael Blackwood (45.12) into third spot.
