Isinbayeva sets new record, Bolt fights for wins
Canada's Felicien 3rd in hurdles
Last Updated: Saturday, August 29, 2009 | 3:29 PM ET
CBC Sports
Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia vaults to yet another world record Friday in Zurich. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images) Yelena Isinbayeva and Kenenisa Bekele starred at the Weltklasse Golden League meet Friday in Zurich, achieving the difficult feat of upstaging Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.
A tearful Isinbayeva broke her own pole vault world record, a far cry from last week at the world championships in Berlin, when the perennial champion stunningly "no-heighted" to find herself off the podium.
The Russian cleared 5.06 metres. Isinbayeva has now broken the outdoor and indoor marks 27 times.
She has set the outdoor mark four times this summer, most recently on Aug. 18 in Beijing.
"I was surprised it was so easy," Isinbayeva said. "I feel great. It's really unbelievable just after such a great defeat in Berlin but I'm happy that I was defeated otherwise I wouldn't be so hungry for the world record."
The redoubtable Bekele of Ethiopia ran 12 minutes, 52.33 seconds in the 5,000 metres, the fastest time in 2009 this year. Bekele won gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 at the world championships last week.
Isinbayeva and Bekele, along with American Sanya Richards, remained in line for the overall $1-million-US Golden League jackpot with one event left in Brussels next week.
Isinbayeva and Richards split the jackpot in 2007.
Kerron Stewart of Jamaica wasn't as fortunate, losing for the first time in Golden League action in a women's 100 that featured seven of the eight finalists from Berlin last week.
Bolt prevails in 9.81
In the men's 100, Bolt found himself even with countryman Asafa Powell after 60 metres, but found another gear for a time of 9.81 seconds. Darvis Patton of the United States was third.
He was more impressive in the 4x100 relay for Jamaica later in the meet, making up a sizable deficit to beat Wallace Spearmon of the United States with five metres to go. Bolt then smiled and exchanged words with Spearmon.
Bolt broke his own records last week in Berlin, blazing to times of 9.58 in the 100 and 19.19 in the 200.
"I would say this was a shaky race," said Bolt.
"My body was sitting at the start, I was a little bit tired through the race. All things considered, the time is not bad. I needed to pick up my speed as my body did not respond well to the race."
Usain Bolt of Jamaica smiles over at competitor Wallace Spearmon of the United States after the 4 x 100 relay. (Allessandro Della Bella/Associated Press) Powell did not run for Jamaica in the relay.
"I have 9.6 in my legs and at my next meet I'm going to put it on the track," Powell said. "Everyone has to go out with that in mind, that they can beat Usain.
"He's way ahead of the crowd right now but we're really playing catch-up. We'll get there somehow. Usain is taking the sport to a whole different level and we are going up there to join him."
Canadian hurdler Perdita Felicien rebounded from a disappointing eighth in last week's world championship final.
The Pickering, Ont., athlete finished third in the 110-metre hurdles with a time of 12.61, a race that saw world silver medallist Priscilla Lopes-Schliep of Whitby, Ont., come in sixth.
Lopes-Schliep had a poor start and finished in 12.7 seconds.
World champion Delloreen Ennis-London of Jamaica took the race by 2-100ths of a second over Beijing Olympic champion Dawn Harper of the United States.
Ennis-London ran 12.46 seconds. Harper rebounded from Berlin, where she had stumbled to a seventh place.
American LoLo Jones encountered more misfortune, carried off after a right leg injury. Jones crashed into a hurdle in the Beijing final last year and was bumped at the U.S. trials this year, denying her a spot in Berlin.
Victoria's Gary Reed was fifth in the 800 metres, clocking 1:44.26. David Rudisha of Kenya won the race.
Big margin for Sanya Richards
Richards won the women's 400 at Letzigrund Stadium by nearly a full second. The world champion finished in a time of 48.94 seconds.
World 200-metre champion Allyson Felix of the U.S., who has dabbled in the 400 this year, was second.
"I stayed in my race and waited till the top, when I knew I'd be strong," Richards said. "The jackpot, for some reason, doesn't add a lot of pressure or stress on me. I'm going in very confident that as long as I execute I know I can win."
In the women's 100, Stewart and Bahamian veteran Debbie Ferguson crossed in 11.04 seconds, second to winner Carmelita Jeter. The American blew away the field in a time of 10.86 seconds.
Bekele starred in the 5,000, but Dathan Ritzenhein's performance was nearly as eye-opening. The American broke through the African dominance of the event by finishing 12:56.27 for third behind Edwin Soi of Kenya.
LaShawn Merritt of the United States again got the better of compatriot Jeremy Wariner by a margin of about two metres in the 400. Merritt crossed in 44.21 seconds, following up victories over Wariner last week in the Berlin final and at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Dwight Thomas of Jamaica nipped world silver medallist Terrence Trammell of the United States in the 100 hurdles, winning in a national record time of 13.16. Trammell clocked 13.17 and world champion Ryan Brathwaite of Barbados was third in 13.27.
Two-time world champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain won the women's 1,500, crossing in 3:59.15. Anna Willard of the United States came in next, followed by world silver medallist Lisa Dobriskey of Britain.
In the women's high jump, world champ Blanca Vlasic of Croatia cleared 2.01 metres to win ahead of Anna Chicherova of Russia at 1.98. Chicherova also took silver in Berlin.
Bronze medallist Ariane Friedrich of Germany finished fourth in Zurich, behind Chaunte Howard of the U.S., who cleared 1.98. Friedrich managed 1.94.
In the 3,000-metre steeplechase, world champion Ezekiel Kemboi of Kenya beat bronze medallist Bouabdallah Tahri of France, while silver medallist Richard Mateelong of Kenya finished fifth.
With files from The Associated Press
