Oliver wins 110-meter hurdles but no world record; Gay takes 200 meters at Monaco meet

Oliver wins 110-meter hurdles but no world record

MONACO — David Oliver won the 110-meter hurdles in a failed attempt at the world record while fellow American Tyson Gay matched the season’s second-best time of 19.72 seconds in winning the 200 at the Monaco Diamond League meeting on Thursday.

Oliver, on a newly refurbished track and with a slight tail wind, topped the meet record in 13.01.

The Olympic bronze medalist won ahead of fellow American Ryan Wilson, who finished in 13.13. Jamaican Dwight Thomas was third in 13.29.

“I ran well under pressure,” said Oliver. “Every time I race now people expect the world record to be beaten.”

Last week in Paris, Oliver clocked 12.89, 0.02 seconds short of Dayron Robles’ world record.

“Tonight I beat the stadium record and I’m happy with that,” said Oliver, who didn’t face much competition after Robles pulled out of the meet because of leg pains. The two are not expected to go head-to-head before the London meet on Aug. 14.

“I’m a winner and I am always looking to improve myself and to see my name at the top of the list,” Oliver said. “I want to be a champion.”

Gay, who headlined the sprints in Monaco in the absence of world record-holder Usain Bolt, got off to a strong start and held off Jamaican Yohan Blake’s surge in the closing meters to set a meet record.

Blake was second in 19.78, and American Wallace Spearmon third in 19.93.

“The problems I had earlier this season are now behind me,” said Gay, who had been sidelined with a hamstring injury then bounced back with a win over Asafa Powell in the 100 at Gateshead this month.

“The new track in Monaco is super fast, this result is a combination of the track and my speed,” Gay said. “I’m very tired now.”

Also winning were American Carmelita Jeter in the 100 meters, Jermaine Gonzalez of Jamaica at 400, Kenyan Silas Kiplagat at 1,500 and Alysia Johnson of the United States at 800.

Jeter improved her personal best this season to win in 10.82 seconds, ahead of Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown, who finished second in 10.98.

Campbell-Brown was returning to competition for the first time since the Eugene, Ore., meet on July 3, where she set the fastest time this year in 10.78 ahead of third-placed Jeter.

“I’m very satisfied with the way the race went,” said Jeter, who also won in Lausanne and Gateshead. “When I race the way I did tonight and execute my technique as I should, no one can beat me.”

Gonzalez ran the fastest 400 this year in 44.40, beating fellow Jamaican Ricardo Chambers and Christopher Brown of the Bahamas.

Gonzalez beat the previous season best of 44.49 set by American Jeremy Wariner in Paris, where the Jamaican had to be content with second place.

American men swept the 400 hurdles, with Bershawn Jackson winning in 47.78 seconds despite a late charge from Angelo Taylor, who finished 0.01 seconds behind. Justin Garmin was third in 48.65.

“I knew I could beat Taylor but I did not expect him to start that fast,” Jackson said.

Jamaican Kaliese Spencer won the women’s race in 53.63 ahead of Natalya Antyukh of Russia and American Sheena Tosta.

World silver medalist Lashinda Demus of the United States, who was looking for her fourth Diamond League victory, took an excellent start and looked set for an easy win before she stuttered on the last hurdle and ended fourth in 54.54.

“I don’t know what happened on that last hurdle,” Demus said. “I guess I was going so fast that I messed up.”

Kiplagat upset race favorite Augustine Choge to win the 1,500 and establish a best world mark this season in 3:29.27, the 10th-best time in the event.

Kiplagat shattered his personal record of 3:34.28 by more than five seconds.

“I knew I was in great shape, I knew I could run fast,” Kiplagat said. “The race was perfect. The pacemakers did a great job and the weather conditions were perfect.”

Amine Laalou of Morocco was second in 3:29.53, and Choge third in 3:30.22.

World champion Yargelis Savigne won the triple jump with a mark of 49 feet, 6¼ inches, setting a season’s best.