Campbell-Brown wins race with photo finish

IANS
Veronica Campbell-Brown
Veronica Campbell-Brown

Zurich, Aug 29 (IANS/CMC)

Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown snatched victory in a photo finish to post her first Diamond League 100 metres win in over three years at the popular Weltklasse Zurich meet.

The former Olympic 200 metres champion out-leaned Cote d'Ivoire's Murielle Ahoure to win the event in a time of 11.04 seconds, and record her first 100m Diamond League triumph since Shanghai, 2011 Thursday night, reports CMC.

Ahoure was second also in 11.04 seconds while Nigerian star Blessing Okagbare clocked 11.06 to be third.

More significantly, the victory was Campbell-Brown's first since being cleared of a doping charge by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, earlier this year.

"My season has had its ups and downs. After my last race I will pause and then I will look at next season," said Campbell-Brown afterward.

She started slowly in lane four as Ahoure, running out of lane six, rushed to the lead at the 30-metres mark. Okagbare, in lane five, chased and Campbell-Brown also found acceleration at the half-way point to set up a tense last few metres.

Ahoure appeared to have the race sewn up with ten metres to cover but Campbell-Brown surged at the end to take the narrow win.

Jamaican Kerron Stewart finished a disappointing fifth in 11.19 seconds.

In the men's 200 metres, Panamanian Alonso Edward took victory in 19.95 seconds to beat the Jamaican pair of Nickel Ashmeade and Rasheed Dwyer into second and third respectively.

Meanwhile, Commonwealth Games champion Kemar Bailey-Cole posted a season-best 9.96 seconds as he captured the men's 100 metres - a non-Diamond League event.

He finished ahead of American Michael Rodgers who clocked 10.05 seconds while Britain's James Dasaolu was third in 10.06 seconds.

Jamaican Asafa Powell, who recently returned to the circuit following a doping ban, was fourth in 10.07 seconds with fellow Jamaican Nesta Carter (10.14) and Trinidadian Richard Thompson (10.26), coming in sixth and seventh respectively.

Edited by Staff Editor