PARIS, July 19: Cuban Dayron Robles demonstrated once again the struggle Olympic champion Liu Xiang will face at next month’s Beijing Games by clocking the joint second fastest time ever for the men’s 110 metres hurdles on Friday.

Robles, whose battle with Olympic champion and former world record holder Liu promises to be one of the highlights of the athletics in Beijing, clocked 12.88 seconds on a cloudy but still evening at the Paris Golden league meeting.

The Cuban’s time was a hundredth of a second off the world record he set last month in Ostrava and equalled the previous best mark of 12.88 Liu set in Lausanne in 2006.

In Liu’s absence, Robles was in a class of his own in the French capital. Terrence Trammell took second place in 13.19 and fellow American Antwon Hicks was third in 13.27.

Jeremy Wariner had earlier suggested he could retain his Olympic 400 metres title when he clocked the fastest time of the year.

Wariner entered the final straight level with fellow American LaShawn Merritt and stepped up a gear in the last 100 metres to win relatively comfortably in 43.86 seconds, beating the previous year’s best of 43.98 he had set last month in Oslo.

Merritt, who had beaten Wariner twice this season, had to be content with second place in 44.35, with Christopher Brown of the Bahamas finishing third in 44.76.

Kenyan teenager Pamela Jelimo stayed on course for the Golden League jackpot with an easy 800 metres win in a personal best one minute 54.97 seconds.

Jelimo, 18, set a world junior record to claim the fourth of the six series wins needed for a share of the $1 million prize.

Slovakia’s Lucia Klocova came a distant second in 1:58.51, narrowly beating Kenyan Janeth Jepkosgei, who took third place in 1:58.52.

The only other athlete still in the hunt for the jackpot is Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic, who recorded her fourth victory from as many meetings in the showcase series by winning the high jump with a best mark of 2.01 metres.

Trinidad’s Marc Burns won a low-key men’s 100 metres in 10.14 seconds, with Frenchman Martial Mbandjock delighting the home crowd with second place in 10.17 and American Mark Jelks finishing third in 10.26.

The showcase event proved a low-key race with Asafa Powell, Tyson Gay and world record holder Usain Bolt all missing.

Results:

Men’s:

100 metres: 1. Marc Burns (Trinidad & Tobago) 10.14 seconds; 2. Martial M’Banjock (France) 10.17; 3. Mark Jelks (US) 10.26; 4. Dwight Thomas (Jamaica) 10.27; 5. Michael Rodgers (US) 10.29; 6. Shawn Crawford (US) 10.33; 7. Vicente de Lima (Brazil) 10.35; 8. Wallace Spearmon (US) 10.35.

400 metres: 1. Jeremy Wariner (US) 43.86 seconds; 2. LaShawn Merritt (US) 44.35; 3. Chris Brown (Bahamas) 44.76; 4. Tyler Christopher (Canada) 45.08; 5. Leslie Djhone (France) 45.43; 6. Reggie Witherspoon (US) 45.93; 7. Nicolas Fillon (France) 46.46; 8. Abderrahim El Haouzy (France) 46.81.

1,500 metres: 1. Augustine Choge (Kenya) three minutes 32.40 seconds; 2. Asbel Kiprop (Kenya) 3:32.78; 3. Belal Mansoor Ali (Bahrain) 3:33.12; 4. Tarek Boukensa (Algeria) 3:33.57; 5. Shedrack Kibet Korir (Kenya) 3:33.93; 6. Suleiman Simotwo (Kenya) 3:34.49; 7. Geoffrey Rono (Kenya) 3:34.80; 8. Mounir Yemmouni (France) 3:35.59.

3,000 metres: 1. Edwin Cheruiyot Soi (Kenya) seven minutes 36.71 seconds; 2. Joseph Ebuya (Kenya) 7:36.84; 3. Abraham Chebii (Kenya) 7:37.51; 4. Alistair Cragg (Ireland) 7:38.21; 5. Mark Kosgei Kiptoo (Kenya) 7:38.98; 6. Boniface Songok (Kenya) 7:39.64; 7. Sahle Warga (Ethiopia) 7:41.05; 8. Mulugeta Wendimu (Ethiopia) 7:42.99.

110-metre hurdles: 1. Dayron Robles (Cuba) 12.88 seconds; 2. Terrence Trammell (US) 13.19; 3. Antwon Hicks (US) 13.27; 4. Ladji Doucoure (France) 13.37; 5. Aries Merritt (US) 13.41; 6. Samuel Coco-Viloin (France) 13.63.

400 metre hurdles: 1. Kerron Clement (US) 48.33 seconds; 2. Danny McFarlane (Jamaica) 48.71; 3. Angelo Taylor (US) 48.91; 4. Bershawn Jackson (US) 48.92; 5. Louis van Zyl (South Africa) 48.98; 6. Reuben McCoy (US) 49.51; 7. Fadil Bellaabouss (France) 50.05; 8. Sebastien Maillard (France) 50.27.

3,000-metre steeplechase: 1. Tareq Mubarak Taher (Bahrain) eight minutes 08.53 seconds; 2. Michael Kipyego (Kenya) 8:09.93; 3. Mustafa Mohamed (Sweden) 8:11.10; 4. Bouabdellah Tahri (France) 8:12.72; 5. Vincent Zouaoui Dandrieaux (France) 8:14.74; 6. Wesley Kiprotich (Kenya) 8:14.87; 7. Richard Kipkemboi Mateelong (Kenya) 8:16.43; 8. Andrew Lemoncello (Britain) 8:22.95.

Long jump: 1. Irving Saladino (Panama) 8.31 metres; 2. Hussein Al Sabee (Saudi Arabia) 8.25; 3. Mohamed Al Khuwalidi (Saudi Arabia) 8.09; 4. Miguel Pate (US) 8.06; 5. Godfrey Mokoena (South Africa) 8.04; 6. Brian Johnson (US) 7.99; 7. Kafetien Gomis (France) 7.91; 8. Salim Sdiri (France) 7.90.

Pole vault: 1. Steven Hooker (Australia) 5.70 metres; 2. Alexander Straub (Germany) 5.70; 3. Jerome Clavier (France) 5.60; 4. Paul Burgess (Australia) 5.50; 5. Renaud Lavillenie (France) 5.50; 6. Denis Yurchenko (Ukraine) 5.50; 7. Derek Miles (US) 5.40; 8. Maksym Mazuryk (Ukraine) 5.40.

Javelin throw: 1. Vadims Vasilevskis (Latvia) 85.61 metres; 2. Jarrod Bannister (Australia) 84.76; 3. Esko Mikkola (Finland) 78.94; 4. Magnus Arvidsson (Sweden) 78.05; 5. Vitezslav Vesely (Czech Republic) 78.01; 6. John Oosthuizen (South Africa) 76.09.Women’s:

200 metres: 1. Sanya Richards (US) 22.56 seconds; 2. Carmelita Jeter (US) 22.58; 3. Muna Lee (US) 22.59; 4. LaShauntea Moore (US) 22.70; 5. Muriel Hurtis-Houairi (France) 22.76; 6. LaVerne Jones (Virgin Islands/United States) 22.90; 7. Alenka Bikar (Slovenia) 23.96.

800 metres: 1. Pamela Jelimo (Kenya) one minutes 54.97 seconds; 2. Lucia Klocova (Slovakia) 1:58.51; 3. Janeth Jepkosgei (Kenya) 1:58.52; 4. Anna Rostkowska (Poland) 1:58.72; 5. Elodie Guegan (France) 1:58.93; 6. Jenny Meadows (Britain) 1:59.11; 7. Maria Mutola (Mozambique) 1:59.51; 8. Tamsyn Lewis (Australia) 2:00.94.

1,500 metres: 1. Maryam Yusuf Jamal (Bahrain) three minutes 59.99 seconds; 2. Shannon Rowbury (US) 4:00.33; 3. Daniela Yordanova (Bulgaria) 4:02.40; 4. Sarah Jamieson (Australia) 4:02.94; 5. Viola Kibiwot (Kenya) 4:04.17; 6. Irene Jelagat (Kenya) 4:04.59; 7. Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) 4:05.25; 8. Stephanie Twell (Britain) 4:05.83.

5,000 metres: 1. Lucy Wangui (Kenya) 14 minutes 38.47 seconds; 2. Priscah Jepleting Cherono (Kenya) 14:58.96; 3. Sylvia Chibiwott Kibet (Kenya) 15:09.23; 4. Jennifer Rhines (US) 15:11.79; 5. Sentayehu Ejigu (Ethiopia) 15:18.66.

100-metre hurdles: 1. Delloreen Ennis-London (Jamaica) 12.66 seconds; 2. Joanna Hayes (US) 12.76; 3. Dawn Harper (US) 12.79; 4. Josephine Onyia (Spain) 12.85; 5. Candice Davis (US) 12.87; 6. Virginia Powell (US) 12.89; 7. Nichole Denby (US) 12.93; 8. Adrianna Lamalle (France) 13.01.

High jump: 1. Blanka Vlasic (Croatia) 2.01 metres; 2. Ariane Friedrich (Germany) 1.97; 3. Tia Hellebaut (Belgium) 1.97; 4. Marina Aitova (Kazakhstan) 1.94; 5. Antonietta Di Martino (Italy) 1.94; 6. Chaunte Howard (US) 1.94; 7. Ruth Beitia (Spain) 1.91; 8. Emma Green (Sweden) 1.91.—Reuters