Left: Jamaica's Asafa Powell sprints clear during the men's 100 metres at the British Grand Prix at the Gateshead International Stadium, Gateshead, England, yesterday. - AP photos Right: Jamaica's Melaine Walker wins the women's 400-metre hurdles unchallenged during the British Grand Prix yesterday.

LONDON, England (CMC):

Olympic 400-metre hurdles champion Melaine Walker and sprinter Asafa Powell logged Jamaican victories at the Aviva British Grand Prix track-and-field meet yesterday.

In rainy conditions at Gateshead, Powell sped to an easy win in the men's 100 metres in 9.87 seconds and Walker stepped away from her rivals for a very solid victory in 54.51 seconds.

Walker, responsible for one of six gold medals for Jamaica at the recent Beijing Olympics in China, was unchallenged as she came home almost a full second in front of Poland's Anna Jesien (55.35). Britain's Tasha Danvers (55.61) was third.

'Weather - no bother'

"Heat in Beijing, rain in Gateshead, it doesn't bother me at all," said Walker.

"It was just good to win," she added.

Meanwhile, Powell shrugged off his disappointing run in Beijing - fifth in the 100-metre final - to dominate the sprint.

"It would have been different in the Olympics if I had run like this. But the past is the past and this is the present," Powell told reporters after his win.

He too was untested as his Jamaican training partner Nesta Carter (10.13) and Trinidad and Tobago's Marc Burns (10.16) chased him home.

Kim Collins, of St Kitts and Nevis, was fourth in 10.23 seconds.

Other carib athlete

Collins also raced in the 200 metres and placed sixth in 20.68 seconds, as reigning World Champion Tyson Gay won in 20.26 seconds, ahead of fellow American Wallace Spearmon (20.41) and Ireland's Paul Hession (20.61).

Antiguan Brendan Christian was fifth in 20.65 seconds.

Jamaica's Olympic 100-metre champion Shelly-Ann Fraser was beaten into second spot by American Lauryn Williams, who went on to cop the sprint double.

Williams (11.24) edged Fraser (11.29) in the 100 metres, in which Bahamian Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie (11.42) and Jamaican Sherone Simpson (11.67) placed third and eighth, respectively.

"It's a bit difficult to come down off the high of the Olympics and I'm still feeling a little tired," said Fraser.

"I'd love to have won, but it just wasn't to be today," she added.

Williams clocked 22.65 in her 200-metre win, chased by Ferguson-McKenzie (22.73) and Jamaican Olympic 400-metre silver medallist, Shericka Williams (22.80).

There were a few other top three results for Caribbean athletes at the meet.

T&T's Ato Stephens (46.09) placed third in the men's 400 metres that Britain's Martyn Rooney (45.35) won and Jamaican Markino Buckley clocked 50.04 in the men's 400 hurdles, behind Poland's Marek Plawgo (49.07) and American Bershawn Jackson (49.11).

Grenada's Randy Lewis placed second in the men's triple jump at 16.51 metres as Brazilian Jadel Gregorio emerged a huge winner at 17.13 metres.

Former Jamaica representative, Germaine Mason, sustained his fine Olympic form and won the men's high jump at 2.27 metres.

The Olympic silver medallist, now competing for Britain, beat American Jesse Williams (2.24) for the title. Bahamian Donald Thomas, the Osaka World Cham-pion last summer, placed seventh at 2.16 metres.

USA's Lauryn Williams (left) wins the women's 100 metres ahead of Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser (centre), while Sherone Simpson, also from Jamaica, runs during the British Grand Prix at Gateshead International Stadium, Gateshead, England, yesterday. Williams won in 11.24 seconds, while Fraser clocked 11.29. Simpson, who finished eighth, was timed in 11.67 seconds. - AP