Lopes-Schliep dominates in Zurich win
Effah, Connaughton perform double duty
Last Updated: Thursday, August 19, 2010 | 5:21 PM ET
By Chris Iorfida, CBC Sports
Canadian Priscilla Lopes-Schliep served notice in Switzerland on Thursday, beating LoLo Jones and the rest of the field in convincing fashion in the 100-metre hurdles.
Lopes-Schliep took the Weltklasse Zurich competition in 12.53 seconds, beating Carolyn Nitra of Germany. Jones, of the U.S., just edged Swiss competitor Lisa Urech for third.
"I'm very pleased with the time and performance," Lopes-Schliep said. "I realized afterwards that I celebrated before crossing the line. If I could relive the moment I would have run through it and most likely would have a new personal best.
"Oh well, I have two more meets to go.… I feel as though I have more in the tank."
While not a points race in the Diamond League standings, the win sets up Lopes-Schliep well heading into a huge race in Brussels on Aug. 27.
Lopes-Schliep and Jones, good friends, are each tied with 14 points for the right to lift the inaugural Diamond Race Trophy, a four-carat diamond worth $80,000 US, and a $40,000 cash prize. Should they finish tied after the Belgian event, the American would take the top prize on the basis of more wins.
The Whitby, Ont., native trailed Jones in the standings heading into the London Grand Prix last week but ran the fastest time of the year at that event, 12.52.
Sprinter Sam Effah of Calgary impressed in open 100 competition in Zurich, running in 10.19 seconds in a deep heat. Effah was third, beaten by world class Americans Trell Simmons and Michael Rodgers.
Jamaicans Michael Frater and Mario Forsythe mistakenly thought a false start had been called and were taken out of the running.
Charlottetown's Jared Connaughton finished second in his 100 heat, crossing the line in 10.39 seconds.
Effah and Connaughton later joined as part of Canada's 4x100 relay team, which finished fourth in 38.74 seconds. The team also included Edmonton's Brian Barnett and Seyi Smith of Ottawa.
Tyson Gay ran a blistering third leg to set up Rodgers with nothing but the finish line ahead. Rodgers crossed in 37.45, the third fastest time ever for a U.S. relay squad.
Jamaica — without Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell — was second in 37.76 seconds, with Great Britain's sprinters third in 38.41.
Felix wins 2 events
Allyson Felix of the United States was the star of the meet, becoming the first athlete to be able to lay claim to two Diamond Race titles.
Felix won the 400 race in 50.22 seconds, two 100ths of a second ahead of countrywoman Debbie Dunn. Felix has already wrapped up the honours in the women's 200.
Felix has won 21 of 22 outdoor races this season, losing only in the 200 to Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica in New York in June.
Campell-Brown showed she's still the woman to beat in the 100, just hanging on in a photo finish over Diamond Race winner Carmelita Jeter of the U.S. Both finished in 10.89 seconds.
"My shoulder was a little bit in front so I had the feeling just after the line that I could be the winner," Campbell-Brown said.
Wallace Spearmon of the U.S., who later ran the second leg in the relay, won men's 200 race and title with a season's best 19.79 seconds.
Fellow Americans Gay and Walter Dix actually had more overall points than Spearmon, but neither competed in the 200 on Thursday. Diamond rules require athletes to compete in the final race of the series to win the overall title.
American Jeremy Wariner won his sixth Diamond League race of the season, but it required him to catch Jermaine Gonzalez of Jamaica. Wariner ran 44.13.
Big David Oliver already has the 110 hurdles title wrapped up, powered to a win in 12.93. The American went tumbling to the track after the finish, but was unhurt.
"I know I'm not the perfect hurdler. That's why I'm missing the world record [of 12.87]," said Oliver. "I cannot ask for more. I'm running fast times, winning the diamond."
The usual form held in the women's 1, 500 with Nancy Langat of Kenya first and Ethiopia's Gelete Burka second. Langat has 25 Diamond Race points, with Burka second with 11.
Victoria's Diane Cummins did not finish the race.
Kaliese Spencer already had the 400-metre hurdles title locked up, but she didn't let up in her final points race. The Jamaican ran a personal best 53.33, more than a second faster than the nearest competitor.
Brittney Reese of the U.S. held off the challenge of Russian Darya Klishina to win the women's long jump and the Diamond League title.
Dwight Phillips of the U.S. did so in the men's high jump, coming out ahead of Fabrice Lapierre of Australia.
Ivan Ukhov of Russia tied for fifth in the high jump, but was first overall in the men's high jump standings. Runner-up Jesse Williams of the U.S. won Thursday's competition on countback with a height of 2.23 metres.
Paul Koech's second place finish behind fellow Kenyan Ezekiel Kemboi in the men's 3,000-metre steeplechase was good enough for the Diamond Race win. Brimin Kiprop Kipruto completed the Kenyan sweep of the top three this season.
Robert Harting of Germany won the men's discus competition in Zurich, but Poland's Piotr Malachowski took the Diamond Race Trophy.
Brazil's Fabiana Murer claimed the women's pole vault title with a win while Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic will be the women's javelin winner despite a disappointing meet. Christina Obergfoll of Germany won the javelin event.
The Diamond League format is an outgrowth of the smaller Golden League series.
Nadezhda Ostapchuk of Belarus became the first Diamond League champion on Wednesday night, winning the women's shot put with a throw of 20.63 metres.
The remaining trophies to be decided will be handed out next week in Brussels.
With files from The Associated Press
