Asafa Powell remains the 100m world leader

ROME, Italy (CMC):

Asafa Powell continued his impressive form this season in the men's 100 metres, when he ran the fastest time for the year during the fourth meet in the IAAF Diamond League series yesterday at the Olympic Stadium.

The World Championship bronze medallist from Jamaica clocked 9.82 seconds to shave one hundredth-of-a-second off the time he ran in the Czech Republic city of Ostrava on May 27.

"It was a pretty good race, the only problem was my start," he said. "My reaction time was the worst of my entire life.

"I got a very good time, despite a very bad reaction, but I had a very good second part of the race."

The French pair of Christophe Lemaitre, who turns 20 today, and Martial Mbandjock trailed Powell to the line in second and third, respectively, with same time of 10.09 secs.

Lerone Clarke, another Jamaican, finished fifth in 10.19, just ahead of compatriot Mario Forsythe, whose time was 10.25.

Olympic and World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser, Powell's compatriot and MVP training partner,suffered the indignity of being disqualified from the women's 100.

Fraser was expelled from the dash when she jumped the gun, a few minutes after American Mikkele Barber had suffered the same fortune.

American Lashauntea Moore clocked 11.04 to prevail over veteran Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas and Tahesia Harrigan of the British Virgin Islands.

Sturrup ran 11.14 and Harrigan clocked 11.17 to finish ahead Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, another Bahamian, whose time was 11.31, and Jamaica Aleen Bailey pulled into sixth in a season's best 11.40.

Hurdlers Kaliese Spencer and Dwight Thomas of Jamaica finished second in personal season-best times in the women's 400 hurdles and men's 110 hurdles, respectively.

Spencer ran 53.48 to finish behind American Lashinda Demus, whose 52.82 was a world-leading time and meet record.

Trinidad & Tobago's Josanne Lucas finished fifth in a season-best 54.84.

Season best

Thomas clocked 13.31 and World champion Ryan Brathwaite of Barbados ran a season-best time of 13.34 for third behind Olympic champion Dayron Robles of Cuba, whose time was 13.14.

St Lucia's Lavern Spencer and the Bahamian Christopher Brown reached the podium with their place finishes in the respective events.

Spencer cleared 1.95 metres in the women's high jump, which was won by Croatia star Blanka Vlasic with a meet record clearance of 2.03m, with American Chaunte Howard-Lowe also clearing the same height in more jumps to finish second.

Brown clocked a season best 45.05 to finish ahead of T&T's Renny Quow (45.52) in the men's 400, which American Jeremy Wariner won in a world-leading time of 44.73, one hundredths-of-a-second ahead of compatriot Angelo Taylor.

A handful of Jamaicans suffered disappointment, when they finished down the field in their events.

Trecia Smith was measured at 13.51m and finished last in the women's triple jump, which Cuban Yargelis Savigne won with a measurement of 14.74.

Steve Mullings ran 20.73 for firth, Ainsley Waugh 20.80 for seventh, and Marvin Anderson limped over the line in 26.30 for last in the men's 200 metres, which was won by Olympic bronze medallist Walter Dix of the United States in a meet record 19.86.