HENGELO (Netherlands), May 30: Triple Olympic champion Marion Jones, shunned by Europe’s leading promoters because of her association with the notorious BALCO laboratory, was beaten into second place over 100 metres in the Dutch town on Sunday.

Jones, who failed to win a medal at last year’s Athens Olympics after winning three golds at the 2000 Sydney Games, finished well behind her former training partner Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas.

The 29-year-old American clocked 11.29 seconds, 0.14 of a second behind Sturrup, and clearly has a lot of hard work ahead if she hopes to qualify for the world championships in Helsinki in August.

Promoters of the Euro-Meetings group, who between them organise nearly 50 competitions, have refused to invite Jones to their meetings after a federal investigation into BALCO.

Her partner Tim Montgomery, the world 100 metres record holder, faces a life ban after being charged with serious doping offences by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

Jones is scheduled to run in Milan on Wednesday before flying back to the United States.

Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele’s attempt on his own world 10,000 metres record was thwarted by gusting winds which gathered strength during the evening.

Bekele, who completed his fourth world cross country long and short course double this year just 10 weeks after the sudden death of his fiancee, broke the 5,000 mark at the same meeting last year and looked full of running on Sunday. But after a spirited start he drifted inexorably off the pace as the wind buffeted the runners with increasing force.

The Olympic champion still managed a startling burst in the final 200 metres and his time of 26 minutes 28.72 seconds was the fourth fastest time ever.

Two other runners posted world leading times in the first significant meeting of the European season.

Kenyan Brimin Kipruto clocked 8:09.53 in the men’s 3,000 metres steeplechase and his compatriot Isabella Ochichi recorded 14:50.96 in the women’s 5,000.

In the absence of double Olympic gold medallist Hicham El Guerrouj, who pulled out of the meeting because of illness, Kenyan Isaac Songok upset his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge in the men’s 3,000.

Leading results:

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