PARIS, July 7: Tyson Gay beat fellow American Justin Gatlin in the 100 metres while Kenenisa Bekele’s Olympic hopes were diluted at the Paris Diamond League meeting on Friday as five world season’s best were set on the Stade de France track.

Gay won in 9.99 seconds after Gatlin failed to sustain a good start and finished with a time of 10.03 seconds just three weeks before the start of the London Olympics. Eleven days ago Gay was beaten by Gatlin at the US trials.

Twice European champion Christophe Lemaitre of France took third place in 10.08 as light drizzle fell on the stadium.

Dejen Gebremeskel led an Ethiopian one-two in the 5,000 metres, clocking a world leading 12:46.81 to beat Hagos Gebrhiwet, who set a junior world record of 12:47.53.

Bekele, however, conceded he would not defend his title in London after being only the fifth Ethiopian to cross the line.

“I won’t compete at the Olympics in the 5,000 metres but I’m not that disappointed because I’ll run the 10,000 metres,” he said.

David Rudisha was one of five athletes to set a world season’s best but the Kenyan failed in his attempt to break his own world record in the 800 metres, clocking 1:41.54, 0.53 outside the mark he set in 2010.

Rudisha beat second-placed Antonio Manuel Reina of Spain by more than four seconds.

Australian Sally Pearson was again in a class of her own when she destroyed the field in the women’s 100 metres hurdles with a world leading 12.40 seconds.

The world record of 12.21, held by Bulgarian Yordanka Donkova since 1988, is one of the oldest in athletics.

French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie, who is unbeaten outdoors this year and will be the hot favourite in the Olympics, only needed to clear 5.77 metres to win the event.

He then failed with three attempts at 5.82 metres.

Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson won the 400 metres hurdles in a world season’s best time of 47.78 ahead of world champion David Greene of Britain (47.84).

Moroccan Mariem Alaoui Selsouli also set a world season’s best when she won the 1,500 metres in 3:56.15.

Leading results: Men’s: 100 metres: 1. Tyson Gay (US) 9.99 seconds; 2. Justin Gatlin (US) 10.03; 3. Christophe Lemaitre (France) 10.08.

800 metres: 1. David Lekuta Rudisha (Kenya) 1:41.54; 2. Antonio Reina (Spain) 1:45.62; 3. Alfred Kirwa Yego (Kenya) 1:45.68.

5,000 metres: 1. Dejen Gebremeskel (Ethiopia) 12:46.81; 2. Hagos Gebrhiwet (Ethiopia) 12:47.53; 3. Isiah Kiplangat Koech (Kenya) 12:48.64.

400-metre hurdles: 1. Javier Culson (Puerto Rico) 47.78 seconds; 2. David Greene (Britain) 47.84; 3. Felix Sanchez (Dominican Republic) 48.56.

3,000-metre steeplechase: 1. Paul Kipsiele Koech (Kenya) 8:00.57; 2. Brimin Kipruto (Kenya) 8:01.73; 3. Abel Kiprop Mutai (Kenya) 8:03.15.

Pole vault: 1. Renaud Lavillenie (France) 5.77 metres; 2. Konstadinos Filippidis (Greece) 5.62; 3. Bjoern Otto (Germany) 5.62.

Triple jump: 1. Leevan Sands (Bahamas) 17.23 metres; 2. Karl Taillepierre (France) 16.84; 3. Harold Correa (France) 16.76.

Shot put: 1. Dylan Armstrong (Canada) 20.54 metres; 2. Joe Kovacs (US) 20.44; 3. Kim Christensen (Denmark) 20.02.

Javelin throw: 1. Oleksandr Pyatnytsya (Ukraine) 85.67 metres; 2. Vitezslav Vesely (Czech Republic) 83.93; 3. Jarrod Bannister (Australia) 83.70.

Women’s: 200 metres: 1. Murielle Ahoure (Ivory Coast) 22.55 seconds; 2. Bianca Knight (US) 22.64; 3. ChaRonda Williams (US) 22.70.

400 metres: 1. Amantle Montsho (Botswana) 49.77 seconds; 2. Novlene Williams-Mills (Jamaica) 49.95; 3. Francena McCorory (US) 50.27.

1,500 metres: 1. Mariem Alaoui Selsouli (Morocco) 3:56.15; 2. Asli Cakir (Turkey) 3:56.62; 3. Abeba Arigawe (Ethiopia) 3:58.59.

100-metre hurdles: 1. Sally Pearson (Australia) 12.40 seconds; 2. Virginia Powell-Crawford (US) 12.59; 3. Tiffany Ofili-Porter (Britain) 12.74.

3,000-metre steeplechase: 1. Habiba Ghribi (Tunisia) 9:28.81; 2. Lydiah Chepkurui (Kenya) 9:29.02; 3. Sofia Assefa (Ethiopia) 9:29.57.

High jump: 1. Chaunte Lowe (US) 1.97 metres; 2. Olena Holosha (Ukraine) 1.95; 3. Ruth Beitia (Spain) 1.92.

Long jump: 1. Elena Sokolova (Russia) 6.70 metres; 2. Shara Proctor (Britain) 6.65; 3. Eloyse Lesueur (France) 6.56.

Discus throw: 1. Dani Samuels (Australia) 61.81 metres; 2. Sandra Perkovic (Croatia) 61.46; 3. Melina Robert-Michon (France) 61.04.—Reuters