Reuters
Zurich, Sept 4: Twice Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce streaked to victory in the Diamond League women’s 100 metres final here Thursday with a time of 10.93 seconds against a head wind on a cold, blustery evening.
The 28-year-old Jamaican picked up $40,000 for winning the Diamond League Trophy in her event. Sixteen finals were staged Thursday at a meeting which featured 20 individual gold medallists from Beijing. The remaining 16 events will be decided in Brussels September 11.
“There is no more to ask, I won the world championships and the Diamond race,” said Fraser-Pryce. “I was eager to come back on the track after Beijing and I just enjoy this meeting.”
Fraser-Pryce completed the night by anchoring the Jamaican team to a meeting record of 41.60 seconds in the women’s 4×100 metres relay.
Britain’s Greg Rutherford, who added the world men’s long jump title to his Olympic, European and Commonwealth gold medals in Beijing, showed his competitive grit after a long season to win on a countback from American Marquis Dendy and clinch the Diamond League trophy. Both men leaped 8.32 metres.
Former Olympic champion American LaShawn Merritt won the men’s 400 metres in a race which finished with the Beijing medallists again taking the top three places but this time in a different order.
Kirani James of Grenada, who finished third in Beijing, was second and South Africa’s surprise world champion Wayde van Niekerk was third.
Beijing bronze medallist Eunice Sum of Kenya surged to the front in the final 50 metres to win the women’s 800 metres in 1:59.14 from Britain’s Lynsey Sharp and pick up the trophy for her event.
Qatar’s world indoor high jump champion Mutaz Barshim, won the men’s event here ahead of his close rival Bodhan Bondarenko of Ukraine.