Jeremy Wariner set the year’s world-best time in the 400m and Blanka Vlasic and Pamela Jelimo won at the Gaz de France meet to remain in the running for the Golden League jackpot on Friday.
Wariner ran 43.86 seconds, outclassing his main rival and fellow American LaShawn Merritt, who was second in 44.35 seconds.
“I just wanted to come out here and make a statement,” said Wariner, the world and Olympic champion.
Both Americans were neck and neck in the final turn, but Wariner accelerated past Merritt in the home stretch.
Inform Dayron Robles also made a strong statement three weeks before the Olympics, winning the 110m hurdles in 12.88 seconds, just one-hundredth of a second shy of his world record.
“I was here to go under 12.90,” Robles said. “The time is pretty perfect. I love to run in Paris. In Beijing, I will take the races one by one until the final.”
The Cuban led from the first hurdle to the finish line. Olympic silver medalist Terrence Trammell was second in 13.19 seconds and Antwon Hicks of the US third in 13.27 seconds.
World champion Vlasic of Croatia cleared 2.01m in the high jump to remain in the running for the Golden League jackpot with 800m runner Jelimo of Kenya.
Ariane Friedrich of Germany placed second with a 1.97m leap.
Jelimo accelerated in the back stretch to ease away from world champion Janeth Jepkosgei in this year’s fastest time of 1 minute, 54.97 seconds.
Lucia Klocova ran a personal best 1 minute, 58.51 seconds to edge Jepkosgei for second place.
In the men’s 400m hurdles, world champion Kerron Clement and Bershawn Jackson were in the lead until the last hurdle, where Clement escaped to hit the tape in 48.33 seconds, while Jackson slipped to fourth place, beaten by Danny McFarlane of Jamaica, second in 48.71 seconds, and Angelo Taylor of the US, third in 48.91 seconds.
World champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain took the women’s 1,500m in 3 minutes, 59.99 seconds, while Shannon Rowbury of the US finished second.
Sanya Richards of the US won the 200m in 22.56 seconds, ahead of her compatriot Carmelita Jeter.
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