By Mellissa Henry, World-Track

RETHYMNO — World Indoor champion Lolo Jones, who missed out at winning a place on the American World Championships team in Berlin next month, blasted to a world-leading 12.47seconds to win the women’s 100m Hurdles at the 25th Vardinoyiannia athletics meeting in Rethymno on Monday.

Jones’ time improved the previous 2009 world best performance of 12.52secs, achieved by Canadian Olympic bronze medallist Priscilla Lopes-Schliep.

However, she just missed the 12.43secs personal best, clocked in Beijing last summer.

Finishing behind the American was her fellow countrywoman Damu Cherry, who posted a year best of 12.53 with Jamaica’s Delloreen Ennis-London taking third, at 12.60.

On the men’s side, Olympic champion and world record holder Dayron Robles of Cuba stopped the clock at 13.17 to defeat American Dexter Faulk, who was just a step behind in 13.18.

There were some fast 100m races as well with Americans, Carmelita Jeter sizzling to an impressive 10.97 to win the women’s race and Ivory Williams improving his personal best to 9.93 to take the men’s race.

World champion over 200m, Allyson Felix finished second to Jeter in 11.08, with Stephanie Durst taking third in 11.14.

In the men’s event, American Mark Jelks was second in 10.04 with Great Britain’s Tyrone Edgar finishing third in 10.09.

Both these runners were clocking seasonal bests on the evening.

Elsewhere in the sprints, Panama’s star sprinter Alonso Edward and Jamaica’s Steve Mullings featured in an exciting men’s 200m, which just went to the Panamanian.

Edward ran a career and stadium best of 20.00seconds dead to edged Mullings, who also came home in a personal best of 20.01sec. Olympic 400m champion LaShawn Merritt finished third in 20.29. Edward time was also a national record

Bahamian veteran Debbbie Ferguson lowered the world-leading time in the women’s 200m when winning in 22.32secs.

The meeting also saw championship records from Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson and American Lashinda Demus in the men’s and women’s 400m hurdles, respectively.

Demus, highlighted as one of the athletes to beat at the world championships, raced home to 54.29 to win the women’s event over teammate and fellow Berlin bound Tiffany Williams (54.60) and Romania’s Angela Morosanu (55.32).

Culson got back to his familiar winning form with a 48.46 victory over former Olympic and world champion Felix Sanchez of Dominican Republic, who finished second in 48.96.

In the second of the two races, former world champion Bershawn Jackson clocked 48.55 to finish in front of Jamaican 2004 Athens Olympic silver medallist Danny McFarlane (48.77). Two-time Olympic champion Angelo Taylor finished down the track at position number five in a disappointing 50.72.

The field event competitions also offered some impressive standards.
Cuban world-leader Yargelis Savigne leaped 14.80m to win the women’s triple jump competition, as she continues her march towards the gold medal in Berlin.

Savigne now owns the top eight best jumps for 2009.

Her fellow teammate Mabel Gay recorded 14.44m for second place with Jamaica’s 2005 world champion Trecia Smith chalking out a last round 14.26m for third.

Cameroon’s Olympic champion Francoise Mbango continues to struggle for consistent form this season, as she finished sixth with 13.83m.

Mitchell Watt of Australia landed a new personal best of 8.43m to take the men’s long jump, improving the 8.34m he recorded earlier this season in Madrid.

Saudi Arabia’s former Asian Championships champion Hussein Taher Al-Sabee was second with 8.13m, while American Brian Johnson took third with a fourth round attempt of 8.04m.

Krisztian Pars won the men’s Hammer Throw with a last round 78.81m effort, while Gerd Kanter captured the men’s Discus with a throw of 69.10m, Barbora Spotakova won the women’s Javelin with a 62.93m mark over German rival Christina Obergfoll (61.78m) and Russian Tatyana Polnova won the women’s pole vault with a clearance of 4.56m.

Photo: Track and Field Photo Magazine