Jamaica's Dwight Thomas (left) hands the baton to Chris Williams, while Wallace Spearmon (right) of the United States hands over to team member, Tyson Gay (second from right), during the 4x100 metres relay at the Weltklasse Golden League athletics meeting in the new Letzigrund Stadium, in Zurich, Switzerland, yesterday. The U.S. won ahead of Jamaica.ZURICH, Switzerland (CMC):
JAMAICA produced four second place finishes - three in individual events and one in the men's 4x100 metres relay, as Sanya Richards of the United States and Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia sustained their win streaks in contrasting style at the fourth IAAF Golden League meet yesterday.
The Jamaican triumvirate of World bronze-medallists Novlene Williams and Delloreen Ennis-London, as well as World silver medallist Usain Bolt, all collected silver medals in their preferred events on a cold night before a full house of 26,500 in the impressive new Letzigrund Stadium.
The U.S. men won the 4 x 100 in 38.40. Jamaica finished second as it did in Osaka - but this time without Powell - in 38.82. Germany was third in 39.12.
Like Osaka, the Americans basically won on the third leg, as Tyson Gay accelerated around the curve to make up the stagger on Christopher Williams of Jamaica, allowing his U.S. teammate Leroy Dixon to finish in 38.40, 0.42 seconds ahead of Bolt who was narrowing the gap all the time.
Ennis-London helped to put one of the challengers eyeing the US$1 million jackpot for anyone who remains victorious at all six Golden League meets out of contention in the women's 100 metres hurdles.
Two-time women's World champion Michelle Perry of United States saw Susana Kallur and Ennis-London eliminate her jackpot ambitions when they relegated her to a third place finish.
Kallur, the European champion, failed to medal at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan, but she gained her pound of flesh, when she clocked 12.66 seconds to pull ahead of Ennis-London and Perry, both of whom were given the same time of 12.68 secs.
Richards, however, was the headline act, when she enhanced her reputation by stamping her authority on a women's 400 metres field that included newly crowned World champion, Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain.
Richards had been denied the chance to contest the 400 at the Worlds because of the Americans' strict qualification system, but she left no doubt in her opponents or anyone else's minds that she is still the one to beat.
In a powerful run, Richards blasted out of the blocks in lane four and was ahead of her opponents on the stagger from the off and was never headed.
Richards, the Women's World Athlete-of-the-Year 2006, clocked a World-leading time of 49.36 secs, leaving Williams (50.85), Amy Mbacke Thiam of Senegal (50.95), and Ohuruogu (fourth in 51.32) in her wake.
Vonette Dixon of Jamaica finished at the back of the nine-woman field in 12.98 secs.
"I expected a fast race because I wanted to attack my personal best," Richards said.
̉Entering the final straight, I didn't know they were so far behind. It was mentally tough for me, but I was ready to pull out a great victory. It was my World Championship today."
The men's 200 was another fairytale story, as Xavier Carter of the United States made a strong comeback from injury to set a meet record of 19.92 secs.
Carter beat the 19.95 secs that 1992 Olympic champion Mike Marsh ran in that year and it was some consolation for missing Worlds.
Carter, whose 19.63 secs last year made him the third-fastest man of all-time, had sustained a knee injury at the United States championships which denied him what seemed a certain spot in the American squad for Osaka.
Carter dismissed Bolt (20.19) with another World finalist Johan Wissman of Sweden in third (20.47).
AP
