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New York - Veronica Campbell-Brown outpaced rival Allyson Felix in the 200 meters at the Adidas Grand Prix on Saturday for the world's best time this season.
Usain Bolt leaned forward, watching intently as his fellow-Jamaican burst out to a strong start then held off Felix to win in 21.98 seconds. Felix, the three-time world champion from the United States, finished in 22.02.
Campbell-Brown grabbed her left hamstring after the race but said it was just a cramp and she completed her victory lap in front of a crowd full of raucous Jamaican fans.
This was just the third time in nine attempts Campbell-Brown has beaten Felix, but the previous two came at the Olympics.
Campbell-Brown said she has never run so fast this early in the season, and it was just the fourth time she has broken 22 seconds.
"She's a strong finisher," she said of Felix. "My strongest part is the beginning of the race, so I know I have to get out and keep going, and that's what I did today.
"Coming off the curve, I felt good. I just needed a little bit better position coming off."
Campbell-Brown said she expected to be fine. She felt some discomfort in her hamstring before the race but ignored it. Then it started to bother her coming off the curve.
"My mindset was, I'm not going to stop. I'm going to keep going," she said.
Bolt and Tyson Gay, who had hoped to compete here but is hindered by a tight hamstring, both attended the meet. In their absence, the 100 was won by Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago, who won the silver medal in a distant second when Bolt surged to the world record in the 100 at the Beijing Olympics.
Asked if he's treated like an Olympic silver medalist, Thompson acknowledged, "Not really."
"Last year I didn't have such a good year," he said.
Thompson freely concedes that he's not yet in the class of the world's top three sprinters: Bolt, Gay and Asafa Powell. He hopes Saturday's victory, in a wind-aided 9.89 seconds, makes a statement that he's on top of the list of their challengers. The meet on Randall's Island, east of upper Manhattan, is part of the sport's new elite series, the Diamond League.
"Everyone who pretty much comes in line after those guys was here," he said.
American Lolo Jones posted the best time in the world this year in winning the women's 100 hurdles in 12.55.
"I'm thrilled with this race because it was a very tough field," she said. "I really feel like this was the Olympic final for London 2012, plus or minus one or two people."
The Olympic champions swept the two women's distance events. Nancy Langat of Kenya was first in the 1,500 and Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia won the 5,000.
