REUTERS
LEFT: Jamaica's Asafa Powell winning the men's 100m race during the London Grand Prix athletics meet in London, yesterday. RIGHT: Jamaica's Sherone Simpson (right) finishes ahead of Marion Jones of the U.S. (centre) and Great Britain's Joice Maduaka to win the women's 100m race during the London Grand Prix yesterday. Simpson clocked 11.00 seconds with Jones second in 11.05.pr>
LONDON, England (CMC)
Sprint stars Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson led a triple triumph for Jamaican athletes at the Norwich Union London Grand Prix track and field meeting yesterday evening.
Powell advertised his clear superiority over the current cluster of sprinters on the European circuit with a fine 100-metre win in 9.91 seconds, while Simpson produced another sizzling win in the women's 100 in 11.00 seconds.
Trecia Smith, the Jamaican World Championship triple jump gold medallist, revisited some of her U.S. Collegiate diversifying days by switching to the long jump for a victory at 6.63 metres.
The 23-year-old Powell stretched his unbeaten run this season to 12 with his ninth sub-10 clocking as he shrugged off challenges from Americans Leonard Scott (10.01) and Shawn Crawford (10.04). Jamaican Dwight Thomas was fifth in 10.14 seconds.
It was Powell's 18th consecutive 100 metres victory.
"It's great to run under 10 seconds again," Powell said. "I didn't feel in the mood for the record because the wind kept changing and changing.
"There's a bit of pressure on me for the moment, it's been a long season," he said.
Tough on legs
"It's hard to run your best at every event. I've run nine races this season under 10 seconds and that's tough on your legs."
Powell's win streak goes back to last year's London meet, where he pulled up with a groin injury in the final won by Gatlin.
This meet had been lined up as the first showdown since then between the two, but the American Olympic and world champion pulled out two weeks ago with a leg injury.
Gatlin tied Powell's world record in Doha, Qatar, on May 12, and Powell equalled it again on June 11 in Gateshead, England. It's uncertain whether the two will meet this year.
In spite of a 1.2 metres per second negative wind, Simpson still clocked a quick time as she topped ex-Olympic champion from the U.S.A. Marion Jones (11.05). Bahamian Debbie Ferguson placed fifth in 11.32 seconds.
Simpson said she takes extra pride from beating Jones.
"Everybody knows Marion's track record and her medals, and just to race against her is a bit of an honour," she said.
It was Jones' first race in Britain since 2004. The five-time Olympic medalist returned to Europe in May after an 11-month lay-off filled with injuries and doping allegations.
"For some reason I wasn't invited in the past few years, but if you took a vote from this crowd, I think they would want me to be here," Jones said. "I felt an incredible amount of support here."
She added: "It was a difficult headwind. Sherone's gotten the best of me in the past two races, but I'm confident that what I'm doing in training is working and when it comes down to the big races I'll be ready."
Rising American star Tyson Gay beat a quality 200-metre men's field to win in 19.84 seconds, chased by fellow Americans Xavier Carter (19.98), and Wallace Spearmon (20.11).
Jamaicans Usain Bolt (20.54) and Omar Brown (20.79) placed fourth and fifth, respectively.
Long jump champion
Smith, a two-time (1997 and 1999) NCAA Division One long jump champion for Pittsburgh, returned to the event for a victory over Britain's Kelly Sotherton (6.52m) and Jamaican Elva Goulbourne (6.52m). Bahamian veteran Jackie Edwards was eighth at 6.27 metres.
There were several other top-three results for Jamaicans at the meet.
In the men's 400 metres, Michael Blackwood's 45.14 was good enough for third behind Americans Jeremy Wariner (43.99) and Andrew Rock (44.81).
In the 400 hurdles, Kemel Thompson was also third in 48.83 seconds, chasing Americans Kerron Clement (48.63) and James Carter (48.79). Danny McFarlane, who won silver for Jamaica at the Athens Olympics, finished fifth in 49.52 seconds.
Olympic champion Tonique Williams-Darling, of The Bahamas, was a late scratch in the women's 400 metres and Jamaica-born American Sanya Richards sped to victory in a world-leading 49.05 seconds.
Jamaicans Novlene Williams (50.24) and Shericka Williams (50.44) placed second and third respectively, and Grenada's Hazel-Ann Regis, fresh from a silver medal at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Colombia this week, finished sixth in 51.89.
Jamaica's 800-metre ace Kenia Sinclair clocked one minute 58.76 seconds for third in the women's 800 metres behind Kenya's Commonwealth Games champion Janeth Jepkosgei (1:58.54) and Britain's Rebecca Lyne (1:58.69).
Jamaicans Michelle Burgher (57.39) and Allison Beckford (57.43) finished sixth and eighth respectively in the women's 400-metre hurdles that American Dominique Darden won in 54.88 seconds.
Former Jamaica representative Germaine Mason placed second in the high jump at 2.31 metres, behind Sweden's Stefan Holm (2.34m).
