Jones and El Guerrouj shine at Paris Golden Gala
( 2001-07-07 09:48 ) (7 )

With the world championships approaching, Marion Jones and Hachim El Guerrouj produced two thrilling best performances of the year at the Paris Golden Gala athletics meeting on Friday.

The American triple Olympic champion reaffirmed her supremacy over the women's 100 metres, clocking 10.84 seconds to easily outpace her two main rivals, Zhanna Pintusevich of Ukraine, second in 10.96, and Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas, third in 10.99.

"The atmosphere in the stadium is really special, very electrical. It's not so often you see almost 65,000 people in the stands. And the track is fast. So, I'm pleased with my race, my time and my evening", she said.

Although the organisers expected to set a new attendance record for an athletics meeting outside the Olympics Games, the attendance of 58,140 was the second best of all time behind the 62,200 spectators of the Berlin meeting in 1993.

The atmosphere reached its peak during the men's 1,500 metres and though he didn't beat his own world record of 3:26.00, El Guerrouj was the male star of the evening with a best time of the year in 3:28.38.

Maurice Greene was 0.06 seconds slower than the 9.90 which he posted a few weeks ago in the 100 metres at the American Trials in Eugene and last Friday at the Lausanne Grand Prix.

But the reigning world and Olympic champion reassured himself about the injury which was nagging him since the first Golden League Gala in Rome two weeks ago.

"I didn't think about my knee. I don't think about it any more. In fact it's getting better and better. The race was a little bit tight but I ran the fastest I could," he said.

BUCHER'S THIRD

In the men's 110 metres hurdles, Atlanta Olympic champion Allen Johnson beat Sydney Olympic champion Anier Garcia. The American clocked 13.15, the Cuban 13.23.

Another reigning Olympic champion, Maria Mutola of Mozambique was defeated in the women's 800 metres. The winner of the race was Sydney silver medallist Stephanie Graf of Austria.

Andre Bucher of Switzerland registered his third win in a row in the men's 800 metres, clocking a meeting record of one minute 43.34 seconds.

France's Stephane Diagana delighted the home crowd in the 400 metres hurdles but 1996 Olympic champion Jean Galfione disappointed them with a new failure. He was tenth at the pole vault with only one successful jump of 5.55 metres. Victor Chistyakov of Austria was first with a 5.75 jump.

Diagana, the 1997 world champion and European record holder, jumped the last hurdle ahead of American Angelo Taylor but the Olympic champion stormed across the line edging him out by 0.03 seconds in 48.10.

Kenyan Luke Kipkosgei won the men's 5,000 metres in 13:02.25 and Russian Olga Yegorova the women's 3,000 metres with a season's best performance of 8:23.75.