Monday, August 31, 2009

Gay wins 100m in Gateshead

Phlllips Idowu
Idowu won the triple jump in slippery conditions after a slow start

Phillips Idowu and Lisa Dobriskey were the pick of Britain's World Championship medallists at a rain-hit British Grand Prix in Gateshead.

World triple jump champion Idowu overcame a slow start to leap 17.32m, beating Bulgarian Momchil Karailiev.

Dobriskey went one better than Berlin as she won the 1500m from Sonja Roman of Slovenia in blustery conditions.

And Christine Ohuruogu just nudged past American world relay gold-medallist Debbie Dunn to win the 400m.

Heptathlon star Jessica Ennis was happy just to be in Gateshead, where she finished fifth in the 100m hurdles to Brigitte Foster-Hylton, world champion in that event.

"To be announced as world champion was brilliant and a nice way to end my season," Sheffield athlete Ennis told BBC Sport.

"It was a really strong field but it was good experience.

"I wasn't expecting to do anything spectacular but it was nice to compete in front of a home crowd and thank everyone."

With world champion Usain Bolt absent, preparing for the World Athletics Final in Greece in September, American Tyson Gay won the men's 100m.

I needed a bit of strength for the last 100m but I didn't want to come here and lose so I had to dig in

Christine Ohuruogu

Gay, who was well clear of 2003 world champion Kim Collins, recorded a time of 10.16 in a 2m/s headwind and revealed he will have surgery on a groin injury at the end of the season.

Britain's Craig Pickering won the B final in 10.32 sec, saying he was angry, with something to prove after being passed over for the British sprint relay team in Berlin.

In the women's 800m Britain's Jemma Simpson, motivated by missing the final in Berlin, pushed world bronze-medallist Jenny Meadows into third place behind American Christy Wurth-Thomas.

"Jenny executed a really good championships. I had a bit more to prove today and I had a bit more determination," said Simpson.

Meadows explained: "I ran the race of my life just 12 days ago. It's been a really tough week and I got quite run down and ill.

"Top three [here] was as good as I could have hoped for."

Dobriskey, who will marry former 800m runner Ricky Soos in December, passed American Erin Donohue on the final bend to seal a stylish victory, with Brit Hannah England third.

"I enjoyed it so much. I felt huge pressure but [the crowd] were so supportive," said the Ashford athlete.

606: DEBATE

"It's definitely changed. I'm not the up-and-coming youngster I was and I hope I can inspire other athletes."

Ohuruogu, who has endured a disappointing year since winning Olympic gold, was pleased to put on a good show for the hardy crowd.

"I needed a bit of strength for the last 100m but I didn't want to come here and lose so I had to dig in and cross the line first," said Ohuruogu.

"It was windy and rained earlier but it doesn't matter. You have to come out and perform."

Donna Fraser, 36, who won world relay bronze in 2005 and '07, was seventh in what is likely to be her last race in the UK.

Uganda's Moses Kipsiro secured an upset win in the men's 3,000m over Bernard Lagat, a double world medallist in Berlin, while Britain's Mo Farah limped in ninth after a fall.

"Somebody caught my leg so I just went down," said Farah. "It took a lot out of me and I didn't have it when they went at the end."

Allyson Felix, the Jamaican who won her sixth world gold in Berlin, out-sprinted Emily Freeman to win the women's 200m.

American Leonel Manzano just held off a surging Andy Baddeley - who missed the World Championship final after bursting a blood vessel in his foot - to win the men's 1500m.

World and Olympic 400m champion LaShawn Merritt added another win to his list, out-sprinting GB's Martyn Rooney, who was seventh in the individual final in Berlin before taking a world relay bronze.

Dobriskey beats Hannah England
Dobriskey left it late but cruised ahead of the field to win the 1500m

In the 200m, 2004 Olympic champion Shawn Crawford edged compatriot Wallace Spearmon - who finished ahead of him to take bronze in Berlin - with veteran Brit Marlon Devonish third.

Long jump world champion Dwight Phillips of the USA leapt a venue record 8.39m to beat Australian Fabrice Lapierre, with Britons Chris Tomlinson and Greg Rutherford fifth and sixth respectively.

There was another venue record in the javelin, where Czech Barbora Spotakova - second in Berlin - threw 65.57m before the weather worsened.

Brit Goldie Sayers was sixth after a year that has been spoiled by a back injury following her fourth place at the Olympics.

The weather was so poor that Russian Viktor Chistyakov and America's Derek Miles opted to share pole vault victory after both failed to clear anything over 5.70m, while Brit Steve Lewis was fifth.

America's world 110m hurdles bronze medallist David Payne again finished just ahead of William Sharman, although the Northamptonshire athlete was overjoyed with his showing.

America's Carmelita Jeter, disappointed with bronze in Berlin, out-classed the women's 100m field, winning from Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie of the Bahamas in 11.08 sec.

America's world finalist Nick Symmonds won a sprint in the men's 800m from Geoffrey Rono of Kenya, with Britain's Joe Thomas third.

There was a Kenyan 1-2-3 in the women's 3,000m, with world 5,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot opening up a sizeable gap on Berlin 10,000m winner Linet Masai, with Britain's Laura Kenney fourth.

ะพ 7:36 AM

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