JAMAICA’S Kaliese Spencer extended her winning streak in the women’s 400m hurdles after taking first place in the event at the Herculis International meet in Monaco yesterday, running 54.09 seconds. The world leader was the only Jamaican winner at the meet, as the athletes used the opportunity to get final preparations in for the XX Commonwealth Games that starts next week in Glasgow, Scotland.

There were second-place finishes for Nickel Ashmeade and Veronica Campbell Brown, third place for triple jumper Kimberly Williams, while Shelly-Ann Fraser- Pryce continued her comeback from a leg injury with a season’s best in the women’s 100m. The meet was highlighted by two top 10 all-time performances from American Justin Gatlin, who won the men’s 200m in 19.68 seconds (-0.6m/s), while Colombian triple jumper Catherine Ibarguen won with 15.31m, fifth best all times.

Spencer, who will start the favourite to win at the Commonwealth Games to get her first major gold medal at the outdoors senior level, also extended her lead in the Diamond Race to 18 points and looks set to win her fourth Diamond League trophy in five years.

Two Americans finished behind her, Georganne Moline was second in 54.73 seconds, and Cassandra Tate third in 55.07 seconds, as the clash with World Championships gold medallist Suzana Hejnova of the Czech Republic did not materialise, with the latter finishing well behind in seventh place in 55.86 seconds. Campbell Brown had to battle hard for second place in the women’s 100m, as the new American sensation Tori Bowie ran a personal best and worldleading 10.80 seconds (0.8m/s) to win the event. Campbell Brown, who is set to run the sprint double in Glasgow, ran 10.96 seconds, as Fraser-Pryce was sixth in 11.01 seconds. “Tonight was the best ever start I had in my life,” Bowie said.

“After that, the race was just flowing.” At 23, Bowie is having a breakthrough season. Her fastest time last year was only 11.14. Gatlin’s heroics relegated Ashmeade to second in 19.99 seconds, just ahead of France’s Christophe Lemaitre’s 20.08 seconds, with national champion Rasheed Dwyer seventh in 20.48 seconds. The American’s time was also the joint eighth best time ever for the event and set a new meet record, breaking the 19.72 seconds set by compatriot Tyson Gay in 2010. “I’m ready to face the best Jamaicans in both sprints,” Gatlin told the IAAF website.

“This year I want to win the Diamond Race in the 100 metres and stay unbeaten.” Gatlin’s previous best time was 19.86 set in 2002. He completed a fouryear doping suspension in 2010. Triple jumper Williams moved up to third on the IAAF performance list with her season’s best 14.59m (1.2m/s) that gave her third place yesterday. Russia’s Yekaterine Koneva was second with 14.89m (0.6m/s) behind Ibarguen’s monster jump which was an Area Record as well. “I never doubted my chances of winning. I never lost faith,” Ibarguen said.

“The world record is there, it’s not far. I will strive and fight for it.” The world record is 15.50 set by Ukraine’s Inessa Kravets in 1995. National champion Andrew Riley was fifth in the men’s 110m hurdles in a season’s best 13.19 seconds, as Pascal Martinot-Legarde set a new French record 12.95 seconds while winning the event, and joins Jamaican Hansle Parchment as the two newest members of the sub-13-second club. Parchment ran a world-leading and National Record 12.94 seconds two weeks ago in France. The next Diamond League meeting is in Stockholm on August 21.

— Paul Reid/AP