Greene, Jones cruise in 100 metres

ROME, JUNE 30. The road to the World Championships began in Rome for American sprint stars Maurice Greene and Marion Jones, who cruised to victories in the first major athletics event of the season.

The Golden Gala meet on Friday was a showcase for the pair of reigning 100-meter Olympic gold medalists, as each notched solid times on a Stadio Olimpico track dampened by an early evening thunderstorm.

Greene, the world-record holder, led out of the blocks on his way to a time of 10.01 seconds in the 100. The 26-year-old world- record holder, who is aiming for a triple gold at the worlds in Edmonton, appeared to be limping slightly through his victory lap.

Recently crowned U.S. champion Tim Montgomery finished second in 10.11 seconds, followed by Nigeria's Francis Obikwelu 10.19. Olympic bronze medalist Obadele Thompson settled for a disappointing eighth-place finish.

Earlier, Britain's Colin Jackson, world-record holder in the 110 hurdles, won the event in 13.37 seconds, edging Dudley Dorival of Haiti and Shaun Bownes of South Africa.

In the women's 100, Jones notched a winning time of 10.96. The 25-year-old American was slow out of the blocks after a false start, but controlled the race by the 40-meter mark.

Jones, the first woman to win five athletics medals at an Olympics, was followed by Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas in 11.10 seconds and American Christe Gaines in 11.11.

Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj captured the mile, winning in three minutes, 44.95 seconds on the same Stadio Olimpico track where he broke the event world record in 1999. Bernard Lagat of Kenya finished second, followed by Andres Diaz of Spain.

Ethiopia's Aliu Mekkonen won the 5,000 meters, beating a pair of Kenyans, Benjamin Limo and Sammy Kipketer.

In the evening's final event, women's pole vaulter Stacy Dragila nearly broke her own world record, but grazed the bar at 4.82 meters. The American still won the event at 4.72, meters beating countrywoman Kellie Suttle.

Switzerland's Andre Bucher won the 800 meters in a photo finish, with a time of 1:44.01 seconds, edging Russia's Yuriy Borzakovzkiy who was just one-hundredth second behind.

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