ROME, July 12: Russia’s world and Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva set a world record of 5.03 metres at Rome’s Golden Gala on Friday.

The 26-year-old cleared the bar with ease to surpass the record of 5.01 she set at the 2005 Helsinki world championships.

Her nearest rival on Friday was Poland’s Monica Pyrek, who vaulted 4.75.

Olympic and world champion Jeremy Wariner edged LaShawn Merritt to win the 400 metres and strike a blow against his American rival ahead of next month’s Beijing Games.

Wariner had a big lead in the final straight but had to hold off a strong late surge from Merritt to win in 44.36, just a hundredth of a second ahead of the 22-year-old.

Wariner gained revenge after losing to Merritt at the US Olympic trials last week and at the Berlin Golden League meeting in June although his dominance of the event clearly remains under threat.

Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell’s Olympic preparations suffered a setback when he pulled up with a groin strain at the end of his 100 metres heat although his manager told reporters that the problem was not serious.

Portugal’s Francis Obikwelu beat Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas on a photo decision in the 100m final after both athletes finished with a time of 10.04.

South African double amputee Oscar Pistorius finished seventh in the 400 metres B race with a time of 46.62 seconds, still short of the Beijing qualifying mark of 45.55.

Cuban 110 meters hurdles world record holder Dayron Robles, who last month ran 12.87 seconds to beat the previous mark set by Chinese Olympic champion Liu Xiang, blew away the field in his event with a 13.08 run.

Panama’s Irving Saladino, the world long jump champion, leapt 8.3m to top the field in his comeback from a knee injury.

Finland’s javelin world

champion Tero Pitkamaki,

who accidentally speared French long jumper Salim Sdiri here last year, triumphed too with a 87.7-metre throw.

Allyson Felix, the twice 200m world champion, cruised to victory in the women’s 400m race with a time of 50.25.

The next Golden League meeting is in Paris on July 18.

Leading results:

Men’s:

100 metres: 1. Francis Obikwelu (Portugal) 10.04 seconds; 2. Derrick Atkins (Bahamas) 10.04; 3. Nesta Carter (Jamaica) 10.05.

400 metres race 1: 1. Jeremy Wariner (US) 44.36 seconds; 2. LaShawn Merritt (US) 44.37; 3. Chris Brown (Bahamas) 44.73.

400 metres race 2: 1. Ricardo Chambers (Jamaica) 44.96 seconds; 2. Ato Stephens (Trinidad and Tobago) 45.62; 3. Sanjay Ayre (Jamaica) 45.77.

800 metres: 1. Amine Laalou (Morocco) one minute 44.27 seconds; 2. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (South Africa) 1:44.61; 3. Yusuf Saad Kamel (Bahrain) 1:44.68.

1,500 metres: 1. Asbel Kiprop (Kenya) three minutes 31.64 seconds; 2. Abdalaati Iguider (Morocco) 3:31.88; 3. Tarek

Boukensa (Algeria) 3:31.98.

5,000 metres: 1. Sileshi Sihine (Ethiopia) 13 minutes 4.94 seconds; 2. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) 13:05.26; 3. Tariku Bekele (Ethiopia) 13:06.00.

110-metre hurdles: 1. Dayron Robles (Cuba) 13.08 seconds; 2. Sergiy Demidyuk (Ukraine) 13.40; 3. David Payne (US) 13.43.

400-metre hurdles: 1. Kerron Clement (US) 48.23 seconds; 2. Bershawn Jackson (US) 48.34; 3. Danny McFarlane (Jamaica) 48.57.

3000-metre steeplechase: 1. Brimin Kiprop Kipruto (Kenya) eight minutes 15.71 seconds; 2. Ezekiel Kemboi (Kenya) 8:16.91; 3. Tareq Mubarak Taher (Bahrain) 8:17.65.

Long jump: 1. Irving Saladino (Panama) 8.30 metres; 2. Mohamed Salman Al Khuwalidi (Saudi Arabia) 8.22; 3. Hussein Taher Al-Sabee (Saudi Arabia) 8.08.

Javelin throw: 1. Tero Pitkamaki (Finland) 87.70 metres; 2. Tero Jarvenpaa (Finland) 84.53; 3. Eriks Rags (Latvia) 83.45.

Women’s:

200 metres: 1. Kerron Stewart (Jamaica) 22.34 seconds; 2. Sanya Richards (US) 22.49; 3. Muriel Hurtis-Houairi (France) 22.50.

400 metres: 1. Allyson Felix (US) 50.25 seconds; 2. Novlene Williams (Jamaica) 50.79; 3. Shericka Williams (Jamaica) 50.83.

800 metres: 1. Pamela Jelimo (Kenya) one minute 55.69 seconds; 2. Janeth Jepkosgei (Kenya) 1:58.74; 3. Yuliya Krevsun (Ukraine) 1:58.75.

5,000 metres: 1. Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) 14 minutes 36.58 seconds; 2. Meselech Melkamu (Ethiopia) 14:38.78; 3. Priscah Jepleting Cherono (Kenya) 14:45.12.

100-metre hurdles: 1. Brigitte Foster-Hylton (Jamaica) 12.60 seconds; 2. Delloreen Ennis-London (Jamaica) 12.62; 3. Candice Davis (US) 12.72.

400-metre hurdles: 1. Melanie Walker (Jamaica) 54.36 seconds; 2. Anna Jesien (Poland) 54.71; 3. Tiffany Williams (US) 54.9.

High jump: 1. Blanka Vlasic (Croatia) 2.00 metres; 2. Yelena Slesarenko (Russia) 1.98; 3. Tia Hellebaut (Belgium) 1.98.

Pole vault: 1. Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia) 5.03 metres (world record): 2. Monika Pyrek (Poland) 4.75; 3. Silke Spiegelburg (Germany) 4.70.—Reuters