OSAKA (Japan), May 6: Olympic champion Justin Gatlin of the United States ran a blistering 9.95 seconds on Saturday in his first 100 metres of the new season at the IAAF Japan Grand Prix.

It was a great start to 2006 for Gatlin, who has declared his goal this year is to break the 9.75 second barrier and smash the world record of 9.77 held by Asafa Powell.

The Jamaican clocked 10.10 seconds a week ago in the US.

Gatlin said he was happy with his time as it set the tone for a season in which he hopes to run consistently under 10 seconds. It was also far quicker than the 10.15 seconds it took him to win the corresponding race last year.

“It felt good this year. All season long, I have been wanting to go sub-10.

For my first meet, it sets the tone for that,” said Gatlin, the winner of the 100m gold, the 4x100m relay silver and the 200m bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Gatlin's female compatriot Allyson Felix captured the women's 100m title in a time of 11.11 seconds, though she said she felt “sluggish” after her long flight to Japan.

Felix said she was not necessarily looking to try and break the 11-second barrier this year ahead of the World Championships.

Chinese world record holder Liu Xiang returned from an ankle injury to win his first 110m hurdles of the season easily in 13.22 seconds, a time he said was far better than expected.

Liu caused a sensation in Athens in 2004 by equalling the world record of 12.91 seconds to win gold, becoming the first Olympic champion from Asia in a track event.

The Chinese hurdler had a disappointing injury-wracked season last year, though he managed to win silver at the Helsinki World Championships.

American 400m hurdler Bershawn Jackson cruised to a comfortable victory and promised to improve his times ahead of the 2007 World Championship also to be held in Osaka.

Leading results:

MEN’S:

100 metres: 1. Justin Gatlin (US) 9.95 seconds; 2. Marcus Brunson (US) 10.14; 3. Shingo Suetsugu (Japan) 10.28.

200 metres: 1. Shinji Takahira (Japan) 20.48 second; 2. Daniel Batman (Australia) 20.56; 3. Yusuke Omae (Japan) 20.57.

400 metres: 1. Gary Kikaya (Democratic Republic of the Congo) 45.06; 2. Yuzo Kanemaru (Japan) 45.41; 3. Leonard Byrd (U.S.) 46.22.

5000 metres: 1. Martin Mathathi (Kenya) 13 minutes 05.55 seconds; 2. James Mwangi Murigi (Kenya) 13:12.26; 3. Josephat Muchiri Ndambiri (Kenya) 13:13.27.

110-metre hurdles: 1. Xiang Liu (China) 13.22 seconds; 2. Maurice Wignall (Jamaica) 13.50; 3. Masato Naito (Japan) 13.64.

400-metre hurdles: 1. Bershawn Jackson (US) 47.60 seconds; 2. Periklis Iakovakis (Greece) 47.82; 3. Kenji Narisako (Japan) 47.93.

Pole vault: 1. Paul Burgess (Australia) 5.75 metres; 2. Daichi Sawano (Japan) 5.70; 3. Dmitri Markov (Australia) 5.60.

Triple jump: 1. Vladimir Letnicov (Moldova) 16.40 metres; 2. Atsushi Takeuchi (Japan) 15.98; 3. Daiki Deguchi (Japan) 15.86.

Hammer throw: 1. Szymon Ziolkowski (Poland) 77.64 metres; 2. Andrey Vorontsov (Belarus) 74.92; 3. Libor Charfreitag (Slovakia) 72.19.

WOMEN’S:

100 metres: 1. Allyson Felix (US) 11.11 seconds; 2. Stephanie Durst (US) 11.16; 3. LaVerne Jones (Virgin Islands) 11.29.

400 metres: 1. Asami Tanno (Japan) 51.84 seconds; 2. Estie Wittstock (South Africa) 52.01; 3. Rosemary Hayward (Australia) 52.79.

1500 metres: 1. Sarah Jamieson (Australia) 4 minutes 03.51 seconds; 2. Yuriko Kobayashi (Japan) 4:07.87; 3. Mika Yoshikawa (Japan) 4:14.05.

5000 metres: 1. Lucy Wangui (Kenya) 14 minutes 58.14 seconds; 2. Philes Ongori (Kenya) 15:20.60; 3. Kayo Sugihara (Japan) 15:25.05.

Long jump: 1. Kumiko Ikeda (Japan) 6.86 metres; 2. Bronwyn Thompson (Australia) 6.70; 3. Maho Hanaoka (Japan) 6.54.

Pole vault: 1. Jillian Schwartz (US) 4.30 metres; 2. Kym Howe (Australia) 4.30; 3. April Steiner (US) 4.20.

Hammer throw: 1. Betty Heidler (Germany) 70.45 metres; 2. Erin Gilreath (US) 68.68; 3. Darya Pchelnik (Belarus) 68.06.—Agencies