GATESHEAD (England), Sept 1: Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell and Lauryn Williams, three sprinters with painful memories of the Beijing Olympics, were back to winning ways with impressive performances at the British Grand Prix here on Sunday.

Gay, who failed to make the Olympic 100 metres final after losing form and fitness following a hamstring strain, won the 200 metres in 20.26 seconds.

Wallace Spearmon, disqualified after finishing third behind Usain Bolt in the Olympic 200 metres final, was second in 20.41.

Powell was another to have missed out on an individual medal in Beijing, though he did anchor Jamaica to a world-record breaking gold in the 4x100 relay.

Two years ago he equalled his own previous 100 metres world record of 9.77 at Gateshead and, on a sodden track in lashing rain on Sunday, his 9.87 victory was almost as impressive.

Powell managed only 9.95 for his fifth place in Beijing.

American Williams, who finished fourth in the 100 metres behind three Jamaicans and was then involved in the mix-up that led to the US dropping the baton in the 4x100 relay heats, completed a 100/200 double in north-east England.

In the 100 metres she gained some personal satisfaction by beating Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser in 11.23 seconds in a race featuring five of the Beijing finalists.

She then won the 200 metres in 22.65 seconds from Debbie Ferguson of the Bahamas.

Two athletes with no regrets, however, were Kenenisa Bekele and Christine Ohuruogu.

Bekele continued his superb season with a convincing win in the 3,000 metres. The Ethiopian, who won the 10,000 metres and 5,000 metres in Beijing and set a year’s best time in the 5,000 in Zurich on Friday, looked as fresh as ever to win in seven minutes 31.94 seconds, the fastest in the world this year.

Ohuruogu, Britain’s sole athletics gold medallist when she won the 400 metres finished off Sunday’s action by splashing home over the same distance in tired-looking 51.27 seconds.

Results:

Men’s:

100 metres: 1. Asafa Powell (Jamaica) 9.87 seconds; 2. Nesta Carter (Jamaica) 10.13; 3. Marc Burns (Trinidad & Tobago) 10.16.

200 metres: 1. Tyson Gay (US) 20.26 seconds; 2. Wallace Spearmon (US) 20.41; 3. Paul Hession (Ireland) 20.61.

400 metres: 1. Martyn Rooney (Britain) 45.35 seconds; 2. Michael Bingham (Britain) 45.71; 3. Ato Stephens (Trinidad & Tobago) 46.09.

1,000 metres: 1. Bernard Lagat (US) two minutes 16.18 seconds; 2. Nicholas Willis (New Zealand) 2:16.93; 3. Nick Symmonds (US) 2:17.10.

3,000 metres: 1. Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) seven minutes 31.94 seconds; 2. Isaac Songok (Kenya) 7:38.15; 3. Levy Matebo (Kenya) 7:39.43.

110-metre hurdles: 1. Aries Merritt (US) 13.39 seconds; 2. Petr Svoboda (Czech Republic) 13.59; 3. Tyrone Atkins (US) 13.61.

400-metre hurdles: 1. Marek Plawgo (Poland) 49.07 seconds; 2. Bershawn Jackson (US) 49.11; 3. Markino Buckley (Jamaica) 50.04.

High jump: 1. Germaine Mason (Britain) 2.27 metres; 2. Jesse Williams (US) 2.24; 3. Samson Oni (Britain) 2.24.

Long jump: 1. Miguel Pate (US) 8.04 metres; 2. Greg Rutherford (Britain) 7.71; 3. Marcin Starzak (Poland) 7.69.

Pole vault: 1. Brad Walker (US) 5.72 metres; 2. Denis Yurchenko (Ukraine) 5.62; 3. Steve Lewis (US) 5.52.

Triple jump: 1. Jadel Gregorio (Brazil) 17.13 metres; 2. Randy Lewis (Grenada) 16.51; 3. Fabrizio Donato (Italy) 16.47.

Women’s:

100 metres: 1. Lauryn Williams (US) 11.24 seconds; 2. Shelly-Ann Fraser (Jamaica) 11.29; 3. Debbie Ferguson (Bahamas) 11.42.

200 metres: 1. Lauryn Williams (US) 22.65 seconds; 2. Debbie Ferguson (Bahamas) 22.73; 3. Shericka Williams (Jamaica) 22.80.

400 metres: 1. Christine Ohuruogu (Britain) 51.27 seconds; 2. Mary Wineberg (US) 51.44; 3. Nicola Sanders (Britain) 51.79.

800 metres: 1. Marilyn Okoro (Britain) one minute 59.48 seconds; 2. Brigita Langerholc (Slovenia) 2:00.87; 3. Alice Schmidt (US) 2:01.01.

1,500 metres: 1. Lisa Dobriskey (Britain) four minutes 09.68 seconds; 2. Susan Scott (Britain) 4:10.23; 3. Sylwia Ejdys (Poland) 4:10.43.

3,000 metres: 1. Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya) eight minutes 33.66 seconds; 2. Priscah Jepleting Cherono (Kenya) 8:42.04; 3. Linet Chepkwemoi Masai (Kenya) 8:43.14.

100-metre hurdles: 1. Josephine Nnkiruka Onyia (Spain) 12.65 seconds; 2. Sally McLellan (Australia) 12.70; 3. Nichole Denby (US) 13.08.

400-metre hurdles: 1. Melaine Walker (Jamaica) 54.51 seconds; 2. Anna Jesien (Poland) 55.35; 3. Tasha Danvers (Britain) 55.61.

Javelin throw: 1. Goldie Sayers (Britain) 61.62 metres; 2. Mercedes Chilla (Spain) 59.77; 3. Barbara Madejczyk (Poland) 58.27.—Reuters