Pearson suffers shock defeat

Australia's red-hot Olympic favourite Sally Pearson suffered her first defeat of the season in the 100 metres hurdles as Games medal hopefuls found the going tough at a cold and wet London Grand Prix on Saturday.

World champion Pearson, winner of 15 of her 16 races last year and unbeaten in 2012, led until the final two hurdles before she was overhauled by American Kellie Wells who won in a time of 12.57 seconds. Pearson was two hundredths of a second behind.

“My coach told me to come here and do something today and I think I did it pretty well, I'll have to go and check with him,” said Wells, who celebrated her victory with a dance on the track, to the delight of the capacity crowd.

There was also a shock in the women's 100 metres with Nigerian Blessing Okagbare winning the race in 11.01 seconds, 0.02 ahead of world champion Carmelita Jeter.
Olympic gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce appeared to stumble slightly at the start and finished last, but was philosophical about her performance and refused to blame the wet weather.

But the news was less good for Beijing silver medallist Phillips Idowu and high hurdler Tiffany Porter with both Britons suffering injury scares with a little under three weeks to the start of the athletics at the London Games.

Idowu pulled out of the triple jump competition with a back injury and Porter left the track in tears having finished last in her 100 hurdles heat in some discomfort.

France's Christophe Lemaitre won the men's 200 in a season's best time of 19.91 but said he would have to go faster to win an Olympic medal.

Meanwhile on Friday, 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.

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 made a poor start in the men’s 100 final but came through in the final 20 metres to win in a time of 10.03 into a headwind.

Results: On Saturday:  
Men: 200M: Christophe Lemaitre (Fra) 19.91 seconds, 1; Churandy Martina (Ned) 19.95, 2; Marvin Anderson (Jam) 20.55, 3. 400M: Kirani James (Grn) 44.85, 1; Chris Brown (Bah) 44.95, 2; Tony McQuay (US) 45.00, 3. 800M: Adam Kszczot (Pol) 1:44.49, 1; Job Koech Kinyor (Ken) 1:44.60, 2; Andrew Osagie (Gbr) 1:45.21, 3. Mile: Silas Kiplagat (Ken) 3:52.44, 1; Ross Murray (Gbr) 3:52.77, 2; Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku (Ken) 3:53.15, 3. 4x100M relay: Trinidad & Tobago (38.23) 1; Netherlands (38.70) 2; Poland (38.78) 3. High jump: Derek Drouin (Can) 2.26 metres, 1; Robbie Grabarz (Gbr) and Tom Parsons (Gbr) 2.22, 2. Triple jump: Christian Taylor (US) 17.41, 1; Leevan Sands (Bah) 16.97, 2; Tosin Oke (Ngr) 16.93, 3. Shot put: Reese Hoffa (US) 21.34, 1; Tomasz Majewski (Pol) 21.28, 2; Dylan Armstrong (Can) 20.46, 3.
Women: 100M: Blessing Okagbare (Ngr) 11.01, 1; Carmelita Jeter (US) 11.03, 2; Tianna Madison (US) 11.13, 3. 400M: Christine Ohuruogu (Gbr) 50.42, 1; Amantle Montsho (Bot) 50.56, 2; Rosemarie Whyte (Jam) 51.19, 3. 800M: Molly Beckwith (US) 2:00.68, 1; Janeth Jepkosgei (Ken) 2:00.68, 2; Winny Chebet (Ken) 2:00.76, 3. 100M hurdles: Kellie Wells (US) 12.57, 1; Sally Pearson (Aus) 12.59, 2; Virginia Powell-Crawford (US) 12.74, 3. 3000M steeplechase: Ancuta Bobocel (Rom) 9:27.24, 1; Polina Jelizarova (Lat) 9:28.27, 2; Barbara Parker (Jer) 9:29.22, 3. Triple jump: Caterine Ibargueen (Col) 14.66, 1; Olha Saladuha (Ukr) 14.48, 2; Yamile Aldama (Gbr) 14.37, 3. Javelin throw: Goldie Sayers (Gbr) 66.17, 1; Barbora Spotakova (Cze) 64.19, 2; Vira Rebryk (Ukr) 63.80, 3.
On Friday:
Men: 100M: Tyson Gay (US) 10.03 seconds, 1; Ryan Bailey (US) 10.09, 2; Nesta Carter (Jam) 10.13, 3. 5000M: Mo Farah (Gbr) 13:06.04, 1; Collis Birmingham (Aus) 13:09.57, 2; Moses Ndiema Kipsiro (Uga) 13:09.98, 3. 110M hurdles: Aries Merritt (US) 12.93 seconds, 1; Jason Richardson (US) 13.06, 2; Ryan Wilson (US) 13.18, 3.     400M hurdles: Javier Culson (Puerto Rico) 47.78 seconds, 1; David Greene (Gbr) 48.10, 2; Angelo Taylor (US) 48.43, 2; Jack Green (Gbr) 48.60, 3.  Long jump: Mitchell Watt (Aus) 8.28 metres, 1; Chris Tomlinson (Gbr) 8.26, 2; Khotso Mokoena (SA) 8.24, 3.     
Pole vault: Bjoern Otto (Ger) 5.74 metres, 1; Romain Mesnil (Fra) 5.66, 2; Raphael Holzdeppe (Ger) 5.66, 3. Discus throw: Gerd Kanter (Est) 64.85 metres, 1; Virgilijus Alekna (Lit) 63.71, 2; Lawrence Okoye (Gbr) 63.33, 3. Women: 200M: ChaRonda Williams (US) 22.75 seconds, 1; Anneisha McLaughlin (Jam) 22.81, 2; Bianca Knight (US) 23.00, 3. 1500M: Maryam Yusuf Jamal (Bah) 4:06.78, 1; Jenny Barringer Simpson (US) 4:07.76, 2; Anna Pierce (US) 4:08.06, 3.
5000M: Vivian Cheruiyot (Ken) 14:48.86, 1; Mercy Cherono (Ken) 14:49.26, 2; Linet Masai (Ken) 14:53.93, 3.
400M hurdles: Perri Shakes-Drayton (Gbr) 53.77 seconds, 1; Irina Davydova (Rus) 54.63, 2; Kaliese Spencer (Jam) 55.08, 3.
High jump: Chaunte Lowe (US) 2.00 metres, 1; Tia Hellebaut (Bel) 1.97, 2; Ruth Beitia (Esp) 1.94, 3.