Jones runs fastest 100m of the year

LONDON, AUG. 6. Marion Jones sped to the fastest 100 metres time of the year at the London Grand Prix leaving an impressive field struggling in her wake on Saturday. Jones clocked 10.78 seconds with the help of a 1.1 metres following wind, well ahead of her main rival Inger Miller in the adjoining lane who finished second 0.19 of a second behind.

The 24-year-old American aims for five gold medals at next month's Sydney Olympics and over 100 metres at least she looks untouchable. She defeated Miller, the world 200 champion, just as comprehensively with a wind-assisted 10.68 in Stockholm last Tuesday.

World champion Vyacheslav Voronin of Russia won the men's high jump with a height of 2.40, the best in the world for the past six years and Hicham El Guerrouj raced to the eighth fastest mile ever in a time of three minutes 45.96 seconds.

Kenyan Noah Ngeny, who pushed the Moroccan to his world record three minutes 43.13 seconds in Rome last year, struggled to stay in touch with his rival in their first meeting this year, clocking 3:47.67 for second place.

Another Briton, triple jumper Jonathan Edwards, also enjoyed a successful day as he struggles to recapture the magical form of 1995 when he became the first person to leap more than 18 metres. Edwards won with his first effort of 17.34 Metres, despite taking off well back on the board. ``I was feeling good and my run-up was great,'' he said.

Mexican Ana Guevara won the women's 400 metres in the absence of Australian World champion Cathy Freeman, who pulled out shortly before the race with a hamstring twinge, while Haile Gebrselassie took the 5,000 in 13:06.23. Gabriela Szabo, unbeaten outdoors last year, suffered a rare defeat when she dropped down a distance to 1,500 and lost narrowly to fellow-Romania Violeta Szekely.

U.S. champion Angelo Taylor showed plenty of speed if a somewhat rudimentary technique while winning the men's 400 hurdles in 48.66 after the leading American woman Sandra Glover had clocked 53.92 in her race.

Olympic bronze medallist and race favourite Ato Boldon failed to recover from a shocking start and finished out of the places in the men's 100 metres, a race won by Canada's world silver medallist Bruny Surin in 10.16 seconds.

- Reuters

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