Greene suffers shock defeat
There was no surprise in the women’s 100m though as three-times Olympic gold medallist Marion Jones cruised to victory while Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj posted the best time in the year to win the Dream Mile.
All the pre-race talk was whether Montgomery could dethrone Olympic champion Greene as the world’s fastest man.
Greene holds the world record of 9.79 seconds but Montgomery, who ran 9.84 at Bislett last season to beat his team mate, was confidently predicting he would lower the mark.
But it was the powerfully-built Chambers who came through late to leave the two Americans in the shade in a time of 10.05.
Greene was second in 10.06 with Montgomery third in 10.10. Speaking after the race a subdued Montgomery blamed the chilly conditions for the surprise.
“With that wind it was always going to be a race for the big men,” he told Sky Sports.
Greene was more generous in his praise for the Chambers, adding: “He (Chambers) came here to race. I ran well but he was just better. I’m coming up to race strength and in two weeks I’ll be able to drop some.”
Earlier Jones surged through after a sluggish start to clock 10.96 seconds and complete the first stage of her assault on the summer’s Golden League.
Jones, who set the track record at Bislett last year when she ran 10.82, came in ahead of Jamaica’s Tanya Lawrence and fellow American Chryste Gaines.
With no major championships this year Jones will attempt a sweep of the Golden League sprints, although she played down the chances of winning all seven.
“I’m not really thinking about that just now,” she said. “I’m just extremely pleased with this time, although I’ve always said the important thing is to win the race.”
Morocco’s El Guerrouj outclassed a strong field to win the mile race. The three-times world 1,500 metres champion ran the final lap alone to finish in three minutes 50.12 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year.
Kenya’s Laban Rotich crossed the line in second place in 3.51:99, ahead of compatriot David Kiplak who clocked 3.52:42.
El Guerrouj, the one mile and 1,500 metres world record holder, had hinted prior to the race that he would try to improve his time of 3.43:13 which he set in Rome in 1999.
Another world best this year was set by Gabriela Szabo in the women’s 5,000 metres — the most entertaining track event of the evening.
Szabo produced a fantastic final 200 metres, kicking past Ethiopian Berhane Adere, who she had trailed at the bell, to clinch victory in 14 minutes 46.86 seconds.
Gail Devers was also in impressive form, romping to victory in the 100-metres hurdles in 12.53 seconds, just outside the best time in the world this year, which she set in California last week to win her eighth U.S. hurdles title.
Devers made light of a 1.2 metres per second headwind to lead all the way, winning by two metres from Jamaica’s Bridgette Foster who clocked 12.79. Glory Alozie, formerly of Nigeria, now representing Spain was third in 12.85.
After the race, the 35-year-old twice Olympic 100m gold medallist said: “I am surprised by the time, it was better than I expected. Technically I did a good race, I didn’t hit any hurdles. It wasn’t perfect but I was very pleased.”
The highlight in the field events was a tussle between Britain’s Olympic gold medallist Jonathan Edwards and Sweden’s Christian Olsson.
Edwards, who still holds the world record of 18.29 metres, took first place thanks to a fourth-round leap of 17.51m, four centimetres better than Olsson’s longest jump.
Afterwards the 36-year-old predicted a season-long rivalry with the Swede.
“Normally I can put out 30 centimetres more than the other guys when I need to, but with Christian it’s not like that. It will be head to head all the way this season,” he said.
There was drama in the pole vault where U.S. athlete Toby Stevenson failed completely and fell on to the track.
He managed to get up and walk but was later sent to hospital for a check-up.
Results
WOMEN
1,500 metres 1. Maria Cioncan (Romania) 4:03.55 seconds 2. Elena Iagar (Romania) 4:03.63 3. Yelena Zadorozhnaya (Russia) 4:04:09 4. Alesya Turova (Belarus) 4:04.36 5. Judit Varga (Hungary) 4:04.86 6. Nicole Teter (U.S.) 4:04.89 7. Nuria Fernandez (Spain) 4:06.27 8. Lidia Chojecka (Poland) 4:06.76
400 metres 1. Ana Guevara (Mexico) 50.45 2. Lorraine Fenton (Jamaica) 50.83 3. LaTasha Colander-Richardson (U.S.) 51.66 4. Michelle Collins (U.S.) 51.85 5. Heide Seyerling-Quinn (South Africa) 52.22 6. Natalya Antyukh (Russia) 52.65
100 metres 1. Marion Jones (U.S.) 10.96 2. Tanya Lawrence (Jamaica) 11.13 3. Chryste Gaines (U.S.) 11.20 4. Chandra Sturrup (Bahamas) 11.29 5. Kelli White (U.S.) 11.35 6. Kim Gevaert (Belgium) 11.40
800 metres 1. Zulia Calatayud (Cuba) 2:00.26 2. Tamsyn Lewis (Australia) 2:00.85 3. Agnes Samaria (Namibia) 2:01.23 4. Oksana Zbrozhek (Russia) 2:01.79 5. Heidi Jensen (Denmark) 2:02.77 6. Kristin Roset (Norway) 2:03.83 7. Camilla Nyqvist (Sweden) 2:04.11 8. Johanna Risku (Finland) 2:04.85
5,000 metres 1. Gabriela Szabo (Romania) 14:46.86 2. Berhane Adere (Ethiopia) 14.46.99 3. Tatyana Tomashova (Russia) 14.47.85 4. Edith Masai (Kenya) 14:48.14 5. Olga Yegorova (Russia) 14:48.29 6. Asmae Leghzaoui (Morocco) 14:55.10 7. Susan Chepkemei (Kenya) 15:00.05 8. Joanne Pavey (Britain) 15:06.34
100 metres hurdles 1. Gail Devers (U.S.) 12.53 2. Bridgette Foster (Jamaica) 12.79 3. Glory Alozie (Spain) 12.85 4. Anjanette Kirkland (U.S.) 13.02 5. Linda Ferga (France) 13.22 6. Miesha McKelvy (U.S.) 13.37
Javelin 1. Osleidys Menendez (Cuba) 63.51 metres 2. Tatyana Shikolenko (Russia) 62.98 3. Yekaterina Ivakina (Russia) 61.40 4. Steffi Nerius (Germany) 60.39 5. Mikaela Ingberg (Finland) 59.91 6. Paula Huhtaniemi (Finland) 58.78 7. Sarah Walter (France) 58.61 8. Tanja Damaske (Germany) 57.65
MEN
* 5,000 metres 1. Benjamin Limo (Kenya) 12:57.50 seconds 2. Sammy Kipketer (Kenya) 12:57.90 3. John Kibowen (Kenya) 12:58.61 4. Paul Bitok (Kenya) 12:58.94 5. Mark Bett (Kenya) 13:00.38 6. Salah Hissou (Morocco) 13:01.10 7. Benjamin Maiyo (Kenya) 13:02.95 8. Assefa Mezgebu (Ethiopia) 13:04.15
* Triple jump 1. Jonatha Edwards (Britain) 17.51 metres 2. Christian Olsson (Sweden) 17.47 3. Walter Davis (U.S.) 17.05 4. Timothy Rusan (U.S.) 16.98 5. Rostislav Dimitrov (Bulgaria) 16.78 6. Jadel Gregorio (Brazil) 16.71 7. Yoelbi Quesada (Cuba) 16.69 8. Leevan Sands (Bahamas) 16.66
* Javelin 1. Boris Henry (Germany) 85.42 metres 2. Dariusz Trafas (Poland) 85.16 3. Alexandr Ivanov (Russia) 84.98 4. Andrus Varnik (Estonia) 84.49 5. Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway) 82.79 6. Raymond Hecht (Germany) 80.90 7. Paul Andre Solberg (Norway) 72.06
* Mile 1. Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) 3:50.12 2. Laban Rotich (Kenya) 3:51.99 3. David Kiplak (Kenya) 3:52.42 4. Abdelkader Hachlaf (Morocco) 3:52.45 5. Craig Mottram (Australia) 3:52.90 6. Anthony Whiteman (Britain) 3:53.21 7. Rui Silva (Portugal) 3:53.64 8. Cornelius Chirchir (Kenya) 3:54.17
Pole vault 1. Timothy Mack (U.S.) 5.70 metres 2. Jeff Hartwig (U.S.) 5.70 3. Vasiliy Gorshkov (Russia) 5.55 4. Lars Boergeling (Germany) 5.55 5. Tim Lobinger (Germany) 5.55 6. Toby Stevenson (U.S.) 5.40
High jump 1. Tomas Janku (Czech Republic) 2.28 metres 2. Stefan Holm (Sweden) 2.28 3. Tora Harris (U.S.) 2.24 4. Pyotr Brayko (Russia) 2.24 5. Gennadiy Moroz (Belarus) 2.20 6. Andrey Chubsa (Belarus) 2.20 7. Yaroslav Rybakov (Russia) 2.20 8= Abderrahmane Hammad (Algeria) 2.15 8= Labros Papakostas (Greece) 2.15
400 metres hurdles 1. Felix Sanchez (Dominican Republic) 48.91 2. Hadi Al-Somaily (Saudi Arabia) 49.06 3. Joey Woody (U.S.) 49.13 4. Marek Plawgo (Poland) 49.27 5. Pawel Januszewski (Poland) 49.67
Llewellyn Herbert (South Africa) DNS
100 metres 1. Dwain Chambers (Britain) 10.05 2. Maurice Greene (U.S.) 10.06 3. Tim Montgomery (U.S.) 10.10 4. Francis Obikwelu (Portugal) 10.20 5. Jon Drummond (U.S.) 10.21 6. Bernard Williams (U.S.) 10.29 7= Ato Boldon (Trinidad and Tobago) 10.33 7= Abdul Aziz Zakari (Ghana) 10.33
400 metres 1. Leonard Byrd (U.S.) 45.75 2. Antonio Pettigrew (U.S.) 45.78 3. Fawzi Al-Shammari (Kuwait) 46.13 4. Jerome Young (U.S.) 46.83 5. Jimisola Laursen (Sweden) 46.92 6. Quincy Douglas (Norway) 47.98 —Reuters