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Hurdler Jones sparkles in NY

New York - Lolo Jones won the 100m hurdles in the world-leading time of 12.55sec Saturday to add some sparkle to the fifth stop in the athletics Diamond League series.

"I ran a cool and collected race today," said Jones, the two-time world indoor hurdles champion.

"I am definitely pleased with that time, and coming early in the season shows me I can run a lot faster."

How about a run at the world record of 12.21 set by Yordanka Donkova of Bulgaria, which dates back to 1988, or the American record of 12.33 by Gail Devers in 2000?

"Yes, they're within my sights," said Jones, who will race in front of family and friends at the US national championships in heome town of Des Moines, Iowa, on June 23-27. "There was no pressure on me today. And I still have some time to brush up on my technique."

Jones edged Canada's Perdita Felicien (12.58) with both under the previous 2010 world best of 12.61 set by US collegian Queen Harrison.

The third and fourth place finishers American Virginia Crawford (12.63) and Canadian Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (12.67) weren't far off that pace.

On a hot, humid day in this stadium located under New York's' Robert Kenendy Bridge on an East River island, performances were generally superb in the shorter, explosive events, and still excellent in the longer competitions despite the sultry conditions.

Two other women's world-leading women's performances were Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown's 21.98 in the 200, holding off the late rush of American arch-rival Allyson Felix (22.02), and Kenyan Nancy Jebet Lanagat's 4:01.60 1,500 meters, fighting off Ethiopia's Meseret Defar (4:02.00) and Gelete Burka (4:03.35).

The men's 100m, which lost much of its luster with the withdrawals of Jamaica's Usain Bolt and America's Tyson Gay (with slight injuries), still packed drama as Trinidad and Tobago's Richard Thompson (9.89) nosed out Jamaica's Yohan Blake (9.91) and Antigua's Daniel Bailey (9.92).

Bolt and Gay were on hand in ceremonial, promotional capacities, while the 2010 world leader at 100m remains Jamaica's Asafa Powell, with his 9.82 second run in Rome on Thursday.

Another well-cheered winner at Icahn Stadium was French triple jumper Teddy Tamagho, who responded to the crowd support with a personal-best and national-record of 17.98m that stretched his lead atop the 2010 year list.

He'd gone 17.63 in Franconville on May 23.

"The fans were getting into it, and that got me going, too. As so many athletes heare are saying, 'I love New York,'" Tamagho said.

Sweden's Christian Olsson (17.62) and Britain's Phillips Idowu (17.31) were his principal challengers.

Pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie gave France another winner as he soared 5.85m to set a meet record and vanquish Australia's injury-slowed Olympic champion Steve Hooker, who settled for second at 5.80.

Twenty-year-old Nicholas Kemboi, the Kenyan who is one of the world's brightest middle distance prospects, broke away from the field of 13 pursuers to win the men's 1,500 meters in 3:33.28sec, a meet record that was also the fastest time of his life and third quickest in the world this year.

"Was is it really that fast?" asked Kemboi. "It felt so easy."

The 2010 world leader at 1,500 remains Augustine Kiprono Chogo of Kenya, with his 3:32.20 in Shanghai May 22.

Norway's Andreas Thorskildsen won the men's javelin with a throw of 87.02m in a decisive verdict over Czech republic's Petr Frydrych (85.04).

South Africa's Mbulaani Mulaudzi won the 800m in 1:44.38 and two-time world champion Kerron Clement of the United States clocked 47.85 to edge countryman Bershawn Jackson (47.94) in the 400m hurdles.

New Zealand's Valerie Vili set a meet record in the women's shot put with a 19.93m heave.

The heralded women's 5,000m race settled into a modest-paced Ethiopian runaway, with Tirunesh Dibaba winning in 15:11.34 - more than a minute outside her own world record.

The next meeting on the Diamond Leaue calendar is the Prefontaine Classic on July 3 in Eugene, Oregon.

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