American Sanya Richards, Yelena Isinbayeva, Kenenisa Bekele share $1 million Golden League pot

Richards, Isinbayeva, Bekele to share $1M jackpot

BRUSSELS — American 400-meter runner Sanya Richards, Pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and 5,000 champion Kenenisa Bekele each secured a third of the $1 million Golden League jackpot by winning all six of their European meets.

World champion Richards led the entire race at the Van Damme Memorial. She set the season’s leading time of 48.83 seconds to claim the prize. Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu of Britain was second in 50.43.

Isinbayeva only needed a vault of 15 feet, 5 inches to beat Poland’s Monika Pyrek.

Bekele was not as dominant, but used a finishing kick to hold off fellow Ethiopian Imane Merga.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Sanya Richards secured at least part of the $1 million Golden League jackpot by winning the 400 meters in the Memorial Van Damme on Friday to finish six-for-six in the top European meets.

Later, pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and 5,000 runner Kenenisa Bekele had an opportunity to share the prize money with her if they won their events.

World champion Richards led from start to finish and set the season’s leading time of 48.83 seconds to claim the prize. Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu of Britain was second in 50.43.

In the absence of Usain Bolt, fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell beat Tyson Gay in the 100, blasting out of the blocks and never gave the American a chance to get back in the race. On a wet track, Powell timed 9.90 seconds, edging Gay by .10. American Darvis Patton was third in 10.08.

Because Bolt did not compete in all Golden League meets, he was not in line for the jackpot and competed in the 200 instead.

Temperatures hovered around 65 degrees and winds calmed ahead of the start of the competition. Halfway through the meet, a steady rain settled over the 50,000-capacity King Baudouin Stadium.

The tough weather conditions were a setback for Isinbayeva, who set a world record last week at the Weltklasse in Zurich to make up for her loss at the world championships in Berlin.

She set one of her 27 world records in Brussels five years ago, but staying perfect for the jackpot will put a big smile on her face.

Two years ago, Isinbayeva won half of the jackpot, sharing it with Richards.

Bekele was equally bent on sharing the jackpot. After feeling tired in the wake of his fifth win at the Weltklasse, he flew straight back to Ethiopia for four days of high-altitude training before rushing back for Friday’s race.

A Kenyan quartet beat the oldest world record in athletics, edging the 32-year-old 4×1500-meter mark of West Germany.

William Biwott, Gideon Gathimba, Geoffrey Rono and Augustine Choge set a time of 14 minutes 36.23 seconds, going just inside the 14:38.8 set by the West Germans in 1977.

The relay distance is not run at major championships and rarely at big meets like the Golden League.

In the 800, U.S. runner Anna Willard beat Britain’s Jemma Simpson and Russia’s Maria Savinova.

World champion Ryan Brathwaite won the 110 hurdles in a mediocre 13.30 seconds, beating Jamaica’s Dwight Thomas by .08 seconds. American Joel Brown took third place. David Oliver, the Olympic bronze medalist who had been injured early in the season, withdrew at the last moment.