GATESHEAD, June 28: Triple Olympic champion Marion Jones, whose countdown to the Athens Games has been overshadowed by a drugs controversy, was beaten into second place in the long jump at a Grand Prix meeting on Sunday.

The American, under investigation by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, was eclipsed by Russia's world indoor long and triple jump champion Tatyana Lebedeva. The American's appearance at the International Stadium had sparked massive interest from the world's media with photographers gathered three-deep at the end of the long jump pit.

Jones, who has never failed a drugs test, missed last year's world championships to give birth to her first son, Monty, with partner Tim Montgomery, the world 100-metre record holder.

But her return to the track has been marred by the BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative) drugs controversy that has rocked track and field in the United States in the run-up to this August's Olympic Games.

Jones, who has persistently said she is innocent of using performance-enhancing drugs, travelled to Britain just days after Montgomery was charged with doping violations, based on evidence given to the BALCO inquiry.

Jones, who has targeted five Olympic gold medals in Greece, led the competition after the first round with a jump of 6.68 metres. Lebedeva overhauled her with a leap of 6.87 with her second attempt and it proved good enough to win a high-quality competition although Jones, whose best is 7.31, improved to 6.77 with her final jump.

In other events, Russian Yelena Isinbayeva broke her own world pole vault record with a leap of 4.87 metres. The 22-year-old surpassed her previous best, a clearance of 4.86 at the world indoor championships in Budapest in March.

World 100 metres champion Kim Collins of St Kitts & Nevis coasted to a comfortable victory in 10.21 seconds from Ghana's Aziz Zakari (10.26) and Briton Mark Lewis-Francis (10.34) following him home.

Mexico's world 400m champion Ana Guevara, wearing a full-length body-suit, was made to work hard in her first race of the summer season, hanging on to win in 50.16 ahead of Russia's Natalya Antyukh.

Leading results:

MEN'S:

100 metres: 1. Kim Collins (St Kitts and Nevis) 10.21 seconds; 2. Aziz Zakari (Ghana) 10.26; 3. Mark Lewis-Francis (Britain) 10.34.

200 metres: 1. Chris Lambert Chris (Britain) 20.57 seconds; 2. Christian Malcolm (Britain) 20.64; 3. Joseph Batangdon (Cameroon) 20.84.

400 metres: 1. Gary Kikaya (Ivory Coast) 45.25 seconds; 2. Daniel Caines (Britain) 45.29; 3. Clinton Hill (Australia) 45.29.

1,500 metres: 1. Laban Rotich Laban (Kenya) three mintes 36.47 seconds; 2. Kevin Sullivan (Canada) 3:36.72; 3. Rui Silva (Portugal) 3:36.86.

3,000 metres: 1. Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) seven minutes 41.31 seconds; 2. Paul Bitok (Kenya) 7:50.54; 3. Craig Mottram (Australia) 7:50.64.

400 metres hurdles: 1. Chris Rawlinson (Britain) 48.58 seconds; 2. Nick Stewart (Canada) 50.17; 3. Alwyn Myburgh (South Africa) 50.26.

Triple jump: 1. Christian Olsson (Sweden) 17.43 metres; 2. Jadel Gregorio (Brazil) 17.23; 3.Phillips Idowu (Britain) 16.72.

Shot put: 1. Carl Myerscough (Britain) 20.85 metres; 2. Bradley Snyder (Canada) 20.06; 3. Miran Vodovnik (Slovenia) 19.99.

Javelin: 1. Alexandr Ivanov (Russia) 85.74 metres; 2. Sergey Makarov (Russia) 82.81; 3. Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway) 80.72.

4x100 metres relay: 1. Britain B 38.79 seconds; 2. Poland 38.86; 3. Britain A 39.16.

WOMEN'S:

100 metres: 1. Yuliya Nesterenko (Belarus) 11.32 seconds; 2. Debbie Ferguson (Bahamas) 11.43; 3. Natasha Mayers (St Vincent) 11.44.

200 metres: 1. Cydonie Mothersill (Cayman Islands) 22.94 seconds; 2. Joice Maduaka (Britain) 23.21; 3. Natasha Mayers (St Vincent) 23.24.

400 metres: 1. Ana Guevara (Mexico) 50.16 seconds; 2. Natalya Antyukh (Russia) 50.21; 3. Christine Amertil (Bahamas) 50.30.

800 metres: 1. Jolanda Ceplak (Slovenia) one minute 59.68 seconds; 2. Natalya Tsyganova (Russia) 2:00.17; 3. Olga Raspopova (Russia) 2:00.47.

1,500 metres: 1. Kelly Holmes (Britain) four minutes 06.83 seconds; 2. Lidia Chojecka (Poland) 4:07.73; 3. Helen Clitheroe (Britain) 4:08.47.

10,000 metres: 1. Paula Radcliffe (Britain) 30 minutes 17.15 seconds; 2. Fernanda Ribeiro (Portugal) 31:32.28; 3. Jelena Prokopcuka (Latvia) 31:42.91.

100 metres hurdles: 1. Glory Alozie (Spain) 12.57 seconds; 2. Olena Krasovska (Ukraine) 12.74; 3. Jenny Adams (US) 12.77.

Pole vault: 1. Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia) 4.87 metres (world record); 2. Svetlana Feofanova (Russia) 4.70; 3. Anna Rogowska (Poland) 4.60.

Long jump: 1. Tatyana Lebedeva (Russia) 6.87 metres; 2. Marion Jones (US) 6.77; 3. Tatyana Kotova (Russia) 6.64.

4x100 metres relay: 1. Netherlands 43.85 seconds; 2. Britain A 43.89; 3. Poland 44.02. -Reuters