Lebedeva in position to win Golden League jackpot

ZURICH – Russia’s Tatyana Lebedeva won the triple jump at Friday’s Weltklasee Golden League meet and remained the only competitor in contention for a $1 million jackpot after Christine Arron of France finished fourth in the women’s 100 metres.

Lebedeva’s winning jump of 14.94 metres, in cold wet conditions, helped make up for her World Championships performance in Helsinki, Finland, where she was forced to pull out of the triple jump final because of an Achilles’ tendon injury and did not compete in the long jump. Arron and Lebedeva were the only athletes still in contention for the jackpot, shared between athletes who win their individual events at each of the six Golden League meetings this season.Lebedeva still must win in Brussels and Berlin, and participate at the September 9-10 final in Monaco.New world champion Trecia Smith of Jamaica finished second behind Lebedeva, leaping 14.67.Anna Pyatykh of Russia was third in 14.57.Arron was never in contention in the 100 metres won by Veronica Campbell of Jamaica.Newly crowned world champion Justin Gatlin won the men’s 100 metres.Gatlin, who won the 100 and 200 in Helsinki, crossed in 10.14 to edge Francis Obikwelu by 0.08, while Aziz Zakari of Ghana was third, also in 10.22 Former world record holder Maurice Greene finished last, 25 hundredths behind Gatlin.Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, who repeated as 10 000m world champion, won the 3,000 in 7:32.59.Bekele was using the race to prepare for an attack on his own world record in the 10 000 in Brussels on August 26.He defeated Ali Saidi-Fief, who clocked 7:37:56.American Sanya Richards set the best time of the season – 48.92 – to win the women’s 400 metres, avenging her loss to Olympic champion Tonique Williams-Darling at the World Championships.World-record holder Saif Saeed Shaheen of Qatar won the men’s 3 000-metre steeplechase in 8:02.69, his 23rd consecutive victory despite falling at the final water pit 150 meters from the finish.Bahrain’s Maryam Yusuf Jamal won the women’s 3 000, some consolation for losing in the 1 500 in Helsinki where she was obstructed by Yuliya Chizhenko in the final.Jamal won in 8:29.45, edging former 10 000 world champion Berhane Adere in second in 8:31.89.Olympic and world champion Jeremy Wariner of the United States won the men’s 400 in 44.67 in a field that included the top seven finishers from last week’s World Championships.Tyler Christopher of Canada was runner-up in 44.96, while Christopher Brown of the Bahamas was third in 44.97.Reigning world champion Michelle Perry won the 100 hurdles in 12.55.Brigitte Foster was runner-up in 12.69.American Dominique Arnold posted a surprise win in the men’s 110 hurdles, defeating Olympic champion Liu Xiang of China, recently crowned world champion Ladji Doucoure of France and former quadruple world champion Allen Johnson of the United States.-Nampa-APArron and Lebedeva were the only athletes still in contention for the jackpot, shared between athletes who win their individual events at each of the six Golden League meetings this season.Lebedeva still must win in Brussels and Berlin, and participate at the September 9-10 final in Monaco.New world champion Trecia Smith of Jamaica finished second behind Lebedeva, leaping 14.67.Anna Pyatykh of Russia was third in 14.57.Arron was never in contention in the 100 metres won by Veronica Campbell of Jamaica.Newly crowned world champion Justin Gatlin won the men’s 100 metres.Gatlin, who won the 100 and 200 in Helsinki, crossed in 10.14 to edge Francis Obikwelu by 0.08, while Aziz Zakari of Ghana was third, also in 10.22 Former world record holder Maurice Greene finished last, 25 hundredths behind Gatlin.Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, who repeated as 10 000m world champion, won the 3,000 in 7:32.59.Bekele was using the race to prepare for an attack on his own world record in the 10 000 in Brussels on August 26.He defeated Ali Saidi-Fief, who clocked 7:37:56.American Sanya Richards set the best time of the season – 48.92 – to win the women’s 400 metres, avenging her loss to Olympic champion Tonique Williams-Darling at the World Championships.World-record holder Saif Saeed Shaheen of Qatar won the men’s 3 000-metre steeplechase in 8:02.69, his 23rd consecutive victory despite falling at the final water pit 150 meters from the finish.Bahrain’s Maryam Yusuf Jamal won the women’s 3 000, some consolation for losing in the 1 500 in Helsinki where she was obstructed by Yuliya Chizhenko in the final.Jamal won in 8:29.45, edging former 10 000 world champion Berhane Adere in second in 8:31.89.Olympic and world champion Jeremy Wariner of the United States won the men’s 400 in 44.67 in a field that included the top seven finishers from last week’s World Championships.Tyler Christopher of Canada was runner-up in 44.96, while Christopher Brown of the Bahamas was third in 44.97.Reigning world champion Michelle Perry won the 100 hurdles in 12.55.Brigitte Foster was runner-up in 12.69.American Dominique Arnold posted a surprise win in the men’s 110 hurdles, defeating Olympic champion Liu Xiang of China, recently crowned world champion Ladji Doucoure of France and former quadruple world champion Allen Johnson of the United States.-Nampa-AP