JAMAICAN sprinter Steve Mullings continued his brilliant early-season form in the 100 metres yesterday when he ran a personal best 9.80 seconds to win the event at the Nike Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon — the sixth fastest time ever and fourth fastest ever by a Jamaican.

After a false start that the officials deemed to be a technical error not caused by any of the runners, Mullings blasted out of the blocks to beat American Mike Rodgers (9.85 seconds) and compatriot Nesta Carter (9.92), both season’s bests, as the top six men all dipped under 10.00 seconds pushed by a 1.3 metres per second wind.

Jamaica’s Michael Frater ran a personal best 9.94 seconds for fifth place.

Mullings’ time was faster than the 9.90 seconds the 2009 IAAF World Championships relay gold medallist clocked at a meet in Starkville, Mississippi earlier this year to leapfrog Yohan Blake (9.89 seconds) into fourth place on the Jamaican all-time performance list.

Usain Bolt leads the way with his world record 9.58 seconds, followed by former world record-holder Asafa Powell’s 9.72 seconds and Carter’s 9.78 seconds.

Mullings’ time was just .01 seconds off the 9.79 seconds (1.1 m/s) world lead that was run earlier in the day by his training partner, American Tyson Gay, at a low-keyed meet at their training base in Clermont, Florida.

Jamaica’s Nickel Ashmeade had yet another fast time as he was second in 9.96 seconds, his personal best, surpassing the 10.05 seconds he ran at a meet in Ponce, Puerto Rico earlier this year to become the 11th Jamaican to run under 10 seconds for the 100m.

Mullings was one of two Jamaican winners at the Oregon meet yesterday as national record-holder Kenia Sinclair ran a world-leading and season’s best 1 minute 58.29 seconds to win the 800 metres.

Sinclair ran a well-timed race to pull away from the pack with just over 200m to go, beating reigning world champion Caster Semenya of South Africa, 1:58.88, and Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei of Kenya, 1:59.15.

Meanwhile, the Jamaican pair of Kaliese Spencer, 53.45 seconds, and world and Olympic champion Melaine Walker, 53.56, ran season’s bests but were beaten to the line by the fast-starting American Lashinda Demus, who clocked 53.31 seconds to win the 400m hurdles.

Kerron Stewart was third in the women’s 100m in a season’s best 10.8 seconds, well behind a sensational world-leading 10.70 seconds (2.0m/s) by American Carmelita Jeter — the joint seventh fastest time ever.

Jeter, who is the second fastest woman ever with a personal best 10.64 seconds, passed the 10.76 seconds run by Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell Brown last week.

World and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce was fourth in 10.95 seconds in her first 100m race of the season and Sherone Simpson fifth in a season’s best 11.00 seconds.

World and Olympic 400m silver medallist Shericka Williams was a disappointing sixth in the one-lap race in 52.16 seconds after the race was stopped despite the fact that no recall gun was fired.