LAUSANNE, Switzerland, July 1 (AFP) - America’sOlympic and world 100m champion Maurice Greene couldfinish only third behind Nigerian sprinter Deji Aliu onhis seasonal European debut at the IAAF Super Grand Prixhere on Tuesday.
The Nigerian showed he was the man in form - aftervictories in Lille and in Trikala last week - as heoutsprinted American champion Bernard Williams andGreene to take the tape in 10.04 seconds.
Williams, though, might have prevailed had he notstumbled all over the place just two metres from theline.
It was nothing to the humiliation suffered by Greene’straining partner Ato Boldon as the Trinidadian trailedin last after showing well early on and his threat toretire last year looks only to have been deferred by alittle.
Humiliation all round in the men’s 400m hurdles forworld champion Felix Sanchez’s rivals as the DominicanRepublic runner turned on the style to leave themtrailing by over seven metres at the finish in a worldbest for the year of 47.80.
He celebrated in traditional style by cupping his handto his ear and bowing flamboyantly to the crowd.
The men’s 1500m proved a disappointment to veteranKenyan Bernard Lagat, who has vowed to put the youngerupstarts from his country in their place.
However despite leading into the bell he had to givesecond best to 19-year-old Cornelius Chirchir with another Kenyan LabanRotich in third and the surprise package of the seasonUkraine’s Ivan Heshko - who has reduced his personalbest by five seconds this year - in fourth.
However another of the old crew Allen Johnson did beatoff the young pretenders in the 110m hurdles.
The former Olympic champion used all his experience todip best and edge out Latvia’s Stanislas Olijars withthe best time in the year of 13.06sec, though theLatvian and 1997 world junior champion set a nationalrecord of 13.08.
China’s Xiang Lu was third in 13.17.
Another former world junior champion and reigningOlympic champion Million Wolde of Ethiopia was lefttrailing after only a few laps of the 5000m and trailedin well off the pace behind his compatriot KenenisaBekele, who looks set to take over the mantle from HaileGebrselassie as the dominant force at the distance.
Switzerland’s reigning 800m world champion AndreBucher couldn’t provide the home crowd with a victorybut he still showed well finishing like a train in onlyhis second race of the season to take second behindKenya’s Wilfred Bungei.
Bahamas Chandra Sturrup won her second successive raceas she powered through the rain sodden track to win the100m ahead of France’s Christine Arron while AmericanTorri Edwards was third.
The 1999 world 200m champion Inger Miller’s bid toreturn to some semblance of that form which she has notshown since a mystery injury kept her out of the 2000 Olympics yielded little as the 31-year-old Americanfinished in sixth.
Veteran American athletics great Gail Devers brookedno argument with her opponents as she hurdled her way tovictory in the 100m hurdles.
Another of the veteran class, Mozambique’s 30-year-oldMaria Mutola found her rivals wanting in the 800m as shesprinted clear in the straight to set the fastest timethis year of 1:56.57.
Jamaica’s Lorraine Fenton won for the secondsuccessive year at the meeting coasting home about 10metres clear of Australia’s Commonwealth Games 400mhurdles champion Jana Pittman.
The world champion from two years ago Amy MbiackeThiam of Senegal was back in fourth.
Russia’s Yelena Zadorozhnaya dominated the women’s3000m storming home around 50 metres clear in thefastest time of the year of 8:35.50.
Meanwhile Ireland’s Sonia O’Sullivan, the formerEuropean 1500m and 5000m champion, finished well downthe field.