DAEGU, South Korea, (Reuters) – American sprinter Justin Gatlin continued his recent resurgence ahead of the London Olympics with victory in the men’s 100 metres at the IAAF World Challenge meeting today.
The gold medallist from the 2004 Athens Games won in 9.93 seconds ahead of compatriot Michael Rodgers (10.06) and Jamaica’s Jacques Harvey (10.16).
Gatlin, the world indoor 60 metre champion who has enjoyed a revival of late after his four-year ban for doping ended in 2010, followed up his success in the Diamond League meeting in Doha on Saturday, where he beat Jamaica’s Asafa Powell.
In the women’s 100, Carmelita Jeter sprinted to victory in 11.11 seconds to finish ahead of Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare (11.21) and Aleen Bailey of Jamaica (11.34).
Jeter, who won the world title on the same track last year, was short of her season best of 10.81 but the American still extended her winning streak in finals to 10 races.
Another world champion who enjoyed a happy return to Daegu was Grenada’s Kirani James, who won the men’s 400 metres.
James finished almost a second ahead of Renny Quow of Trinidad & Tobago to claim victory in his first race of the season.
There was also success for America’s world indoor 60 metre hurdles champion Aries Merritt (13.21), who pipped compatriot David Oliver (13.22) to win the men’s 110 metres hurdles, while Ethiopia’s indoor 800 world champion Mohammed Aman proved too strong over the distance to edge Kenya’s Leonard Kirwa Kosencha.
Jamaican sprinter Sherone Simpson was disqualified in the women’s 200 allowing American LaShauntea Moore to claim victory in 22.71, just ahead of her compatriot ChaRonda Williams.
Men’s javelin world champion Matthias de Zordo of Germany only managed 79.39 metres in his season opener to finish a disappointing fourth in the event, which was won by Russia’s Dmitri Tarabin with an 82.75 effort.
De Zordo will be among those athletes heading to Shanghai for this Saturday’s second Diamond League meeting of the year.
