STUTTGART (Germany), Sept 22: Asafa Powell was at his most overpowering again on Saturday, running into a headwind and winning the 100 metres at the World Athletics final in 9.83sec.

In the absence of world champion Tyson Gay, Powell stayed calm despite two false starts and left the opposition standing. Battling a 0.3 metre per second headwind, the Jamaican could not get closer than .09sec to the world record he set two weeks ago in Italy.

Jaysuma Saidy Ndure of Norway was second in 10.06, and Michael Frater of Jamaica was third in 10.11.

Olusoji Fasuba of Nigeria was disqualified for a second false start. It was not the only trouble the starting gun caused on Saturday.

The 100m hurdles was a festival of false starts and three disqualifications, including one for in-form Susanna Kallur of Sweden. Once the race started at the fourth attempt, Michelle Perry won for the first time since the final at the world championships. With a time of 12.68sec, she beat surprise runner-up Josephine Onyia of Spain by .02sec.

The 400m hurdles had all the big stars from the world championships in Osaka, Japan, lining up – including the last two Olympic and world champions. Reigning world champion Kerron Clement was poised for one of his late rushes but he stuttered again at the last hurdle and failed to dip at the line. Marek Plawgo of Poland held on for a good win as both were timed in 48.35. In an extremely tight race, James Carter finished .01sec back.In the absence of the all-dominating Jeremy Wariner, LaShawn Merritt proved again that he is the second best in the world in the 400m. After silver in Osaka, Merritt won the last clash of the season in 44.58sec, with Tyler Christopher of Canada second in 44.87 and Angelo Taylor of the United States third in 44.92.

World champion Tatyana Lebedeva took the lead on her penultimate long jump and held on to win with a leap of 6.78 metres, 14 centimetres more than the last jump from Grace Upshaw.

World champion Gerd Kanter of Estonia again held off double Olympic champion Virgilius Alekna in the discus, throwing 66.54 metres for an edge of .60 metres over Alekna. It was only the second defeat for the Lithuanian in more than two years.

The season-ending World Athletics Final has US$3 million in prize money, with an extra US$100,000 thrown in for every world record.

Powell, Yelena Isinbayeva in the pole vault and high jumper Blanka Vlasic were tipped to come closest to breaking world records.

It will be one of the last opportunities for Isinbayeva to set an outdoor pole vault world record this year, hoping to end a two-year drought.

Over the weekend, most of the best performers in every discipline will meet in 36 straight finals, the last chance for some bragging rights going into an Olympic year. Each winner earns US$30,000.

Saturday’s results (race distances in metres):

Men:

100: 1 Asafa Powell, Jamaica, 9.83 seconds; 2 Jaysuma Saidy Ndure, Norway, 10.06; 3 Michael Frater, Jamaica, 10.11; 4 Francis Obikwelu, Portugal, 10.17; 5 Marlon Devonish, Britain, 10.18; 6 Churandy Martina, Netherlands Antilles, 10.23; 7 Matic Osovnikar, Slovenia, 10.35; 8 Olusoji A. Fasuba, Nigeria, DQ.

400: 1 LaShawn Merritt, US, 44.58. 2 Tyler Christopher, Canada, 44.87; 3 Angelo Taylor, US, 44.92; 4 Gary Kikaya, Congo, 45.58; 5 John Steffensen, Australia, 46.16; 6 Martyn Rooney, Britain, 46.25; 7 Alleyne Francique, Grenada, 46.27; 8 Sanjay Ayre, Jamaica, 46.32.

3,000: 1 Edwin Cheruiyot Soi, Kenya, 7:48.81; 2 Joseph Ebuya, Kenya, 7:49.70; 3 Mohammed Farah, Britain, 7:49.89; 4 Craig Mottram, Australia, 7:49.89; 5 Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa, Kenya, 7:50.62; 6 Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya, 7:50.93; 7 Moses Ndiema Kipsiro, Uganda, 7:51.22; 8 Jonas Cheruiyot, Kenya, 7:51.26; 9 Yusuf Kibet Biwott, Kenya, 7:51.28; 10 Bisluke Kipkorir Kiplagat, Kenya, 8:07.01.

400 hurdles: 1 Marek Plawgo, Poland, 48.35; 2 Kerron Clement, US, 48.35; 3 James Carter, US, 48.36; 4 Bershawn Jackson, US, 48.58; 5 Angelo Taylor, US, 49.27; 6 Kenneth Ferguson, US, 49.45; 7 Felix Sanchez, Dominican Republic, 49.61; 8, L.J. Van Zyl, South Africa, 49.62.

Discus: 1 Gerd Kanter, Estonia, 66.54 metres. 2 Virgilijus Alekna, Lithuania, 65.94; 3 Piotr Malachowski, Poland, 65.35; 4 Robert Harting, Germany, 65.25; 5 Mario Pestano, Spain, 63.25; 6 Jarred Rome, US, 62.05; 7 Zoltan Kovago, Hungary, 61.58; 8 Ian Waltz, US, 61.14.

Women:

100 hurdles: 1 Michelle Perry, US, 12.68; 2 Josephine Onyia, Spain, 12.70; 3 Delloreen Ennis-London, Jamaica, 12.72; 4 Perdita Felicien, Canada, 12.83; 5 Vonette Dixon, Jamaica, 12.90; 6 Lolo Jones, US, DQ; 7 Susanna Kallur, Sweden, DQ; 8 Sally McLellan, Australia, DQ.

3,000 steeplechase: 1 Eunice Jepkorir, Kenya, 9:35.03; 2 Roisin McGettigan, Ireland, 9:35.86; 3 Cristina Casandra, Romania, 9:36.38; 4 Yekaterina Volkova, Russia, 9:40.21; 5 Korene Hinds, Jamaica, 9:40.50; 6 Helen Clitheroe, Britain, 9:41.59; 7 Donna MacFarlane, Australia, 9:41.77; 8 Hattie Dean, Britain, 9:41.86; 9 Mardrea Hyman, Jamaica, 9:51.03. 10 Lisa Galaviz, US, 9:51.73.

Long jump: 1 Tatyana Lebedeva, Russia, 6.78; 2 Grace Upshaw, US, 6.64; 3 Oksana Udmurtova, Russia, 6.52; 4 Kumiko Ikeda, Japan, 6.48; 5 Keila Costa, Brazil, 6.46; 6 Bianca Kappler, Germany, 6.42; 7 Malgorzata Trybanska, Poland, 6.36; 8 Rose Richmond, US, 6.32. –AP