US sprinters Tyson Gay and Carmelita Jeter overshadowed Liu Xiang’s comeback performance on Sunday when they recorded the second fastest men’s and women’s 100m races in history.
Jeter, the bronze medalist at last month’s world championships in Berlin, blasted the blue riband event at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in 10.64 seconds, 0.01sec faster than the disgraced Marion Jones.
But her time was still a way off Florence Griffith-Joyner’s world record of 10.49sec.
The 29-year-old Jeter has enjoyed a fantastic season in which she has seen her times increase as the months went by.
The absence of Jamaican triple world and Olympic champion Usain Bolt counted for little in the men’s 100m, where Gay powered to an impressive victory in 9.69sec, the joint second fastest time in history (with Bolt).
The American took advantage of a 2.0 m/s tailwind, the maximum limit for a 100m to be considered eligible.
Gay, who finished second behind Bolt when the latter set his world record run of 9.58sec in Berlin, beat home Jamaica’s former world record holder Asafa Powell, who finished in 9.85sec with American Darvis Patton third.
Bolt had been due to compete in Shanghai but pulled out, citing fatigue.
Liu Xiang, the Athens Olympic champion, thrilled his home crowd in a much-anticipated comeback after his pull-out from the 110m hurdles at the Beijing Games.
The stadium erupted as Liu and Terrence Trammell, the world No. 2, finished neck-and-neck, both registering 13.15sec, with the American credited with first place ahead of Liu.
Liu, 26, exploded out of the starting blocks, racing for the first time since he limped out of the Bird’s Nest last year during qualifying heats. Compatriot Shi Dongpeng placed third in the race ahead of four-time world and 1996 Olympic champion Allen Johnson.
Russian pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva triumphed but failed on a third attempt to clear what would have been a world record of 5.07m.
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
The Canterbury Crusaders edged the Waikato Chiefs 16-12 in an intense Super Rugby Pacific final battle in Christchurch yesterday to claim their 15th title in 30 years of the Southern Hemisphere competition. Hooker Codie Taylor scored a try and Rivez Reihana contributed 11 points from the kicking tee as the most dominant team in Super Rugby history extended their perfect home playoff record to 32 successive matches since 1998. The Chiefs, who were looking for a first title since 2013, scored first-half tries through George Dyer and Shaun Stevenson, but were unable to register a point after the break and fell to
REUNION: Former Barcelona players Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Miami coach Javier Mascherano are to face their former coach Luis Enrique Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi faces a tantalizing reunion with former club Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup last 16 after both sides on Monday progressed to the knockout phase. Miami drew 2-2 with Palmeiras to go through second in Group A, after the Brazilian side fought back from two goals down to seal top spot. They now face an all-Brazil clash against Botafogo, who lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid, but progressed from Group B in second at the expense of the Spaniards. Champions of Europe PSG won the group with a 2-0 victory over Seattle Sounders, paving the
RSS