LONDON, July 14: World 5,000 metres champion Mo Farah underlined his credentials to become Britain’s first Olympic long-distance gold medallist by winning his final warm-up in style at the London Grand Prix on Friday.
Farah, who also won world silver in the 10,000 in Daegu last year, was confronted by a wall of sound from a bumper home crowd as he pulled away from Australia’s Collis Birmingham on the final lap to win in 13 minutes, 6.04 seconds.
American Tyson Gay prepared for the anticipated chilly Olympics here by winning the 100 meters at the London Grand Prix in dreary summer conditions in the British capital on Friday.
The former world champion won in 10.03 seconds in a headwind of 1.2 metres per second, ahead of compatriot Ryan Bailey and Nesta Carter of Jamaica.
The other outstanding performance of the night came in the men’s 110m hurdles, where American Aries Merritt indicated he will be the man to beat at the Olympics with a superb season’s fastest time of 12.93sec.
Merritt, the recent winner of the US Olympic trials and favourite for the gold medal in London, led an American sweep of the top three positions, storming clear of Jason Richardson in 13.06sec and Ryan Wilson in 13.18.
Injury problems struck China’s 2004 Olympic champion Liu Xiang who had to pull out of the final of 110 metres hurdles after tweaking his back while warming up.
Britain’s Perri Shakes-Drayton provided some early cheer for home fans, winning the women’s 400 hurdles ahead of European champion Irina Davydova in a personal best of 53.77, a time that took her to second in the world this year.
World champion Dai Greene could not provide the crowd with a British double in the event as Puerto Rica’s Javier Culson maintained his unbeaten record for the season, winning the men’s 400 hurdles in 47.78 to equal his world leading time.
Greene finished strongly to snatch second place ahead of Olympic champion Angelo Taylor in 48.10.
Meanwhile Kenyan distance runner Vivian Cheruiyot signalled she will be the woman to beat over 5,000m at the Olympics with a classy victory in 14:48.86, pipping compatriots Mercy Cherono, second with 14:49.26 and Linet Masai, 14:53.93.
The long jump was won by Australia’s Mitchell Watt and Bjorn Otto of Germany triumphed in the pole vault.
Results: Men’s: 100m: 1. Tyson Gay (US) 10.03; 2. Ryan Bailey (US) 10.09; 3.Nesta Carter (Jamaica) 10.13.
5000m: 1. Mo Farah (Britain) 13:06.04; 2. Collis Birmingham (Australia) 13:09.57; 3. Moses Ndiema Kipsiro (Uganda) 13:09.98.
110m hurdles: 1. Aries Merritt (US) 12.93; 2. Jason Richardson (US) 13.06; 3. Ryan Wilson (US ) 13.18.
400m hurdles: 1. Javier Culson (Puerto Rico) 47.78; 2. David Greene (Britain) 48.10; 3. Angelo Taylor (US) 48.43.
Long jump: 1. Mitchell Watt (Australia) 8.28; 2. Chris Tomlinson (Britain) 8.26; 3. Khotso Mokoena (South Africa) 8.24.
Pole vault: 1. Bjoern Otto (Germany) 5.74; 2. Romain Mesnil (France) 5.66; 3. Raphael Holzdeppe (Germany) 5.66.
Discus throw: 1. Gerd Kanter (Estonia) 64.85; 2. Virgilijus Alekna (Lithuania) 63.71; 3. Lawrence Okoye (Britain) 63.33.
Women’s: 200m: 1. ChaRonda Williams (US) 22.75; 2. Anneisha McLaughlin (Jamaica) 22.81; 3. Bianca Knight (US) 23.00.
1500m: 1. Maryam Yusuf Jamal (Bahrain) 4:06.78; 2. Jenny Barringer Simpson (US ) 4:07.76; 3. Anna Pierce (US) 4:08.06.
5000m: 1. Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya) 14:48.86; 2. Mercy Cherono (Kenya) 14:49.26; 3. Linet Masai (Kenya) 14:53.93.
400m hurdles: 1. Perri Shakes-Drayton (Britain) 53.77; 2. Irina Davydova (Russia) 54.63; 3. Kaliese Spencer (Jamaica) 55.08.
High jump 1. Chaunte Lowe (US) 2.00; 2. Tia Hellebaut (Belgium) 1.97; 3. Ruth Beitia (Spain) 1.94.—Agencies
