Viljoen takes women's javelin

Gateshead - African record holder Sunette Viljoen defeated Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic for the second time this season when she secured victory in the women's javelin throw event at the Diamond League meeting in Gateshead, England on Saturday night.

Viljoen produced a 64.32m throw from her first effort of the evening to wrap up the win ahead of Kara Patterson of the US who placed second with a 63.11m fourth round throw.

Spotakova, the world record holder, was third with a best of 62.02m but nonetheless held on to the lead in the Diamond League season race with eight points. Viljoen and Patterson are tied second with six points each.

Peter van der Westhuizen improved his season's best in the men's 1 500m, finishing eighth in 3:35.97 in a tactical race won by Kenyan Asbel Kiprop in 3:33.34.

The 25-year-old South African fell only 0.64 seconds short of the career best he set in New York more than a year ago.

National record holder Ruben Ramolefi was disappointing again in the men's 3 000m steeplechase after dropping out midway through the race in the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne earlier in the week.

Ramolefi, the African Championships bronze medallist in 2006, took the lead early in a slow race but fell back to finish eighth in 8:41.80.

Linus Chumba of Kenya won in 8:19.72, a meeting record.

The next Diamond League meeting, the ninth of 14 this season, will be held in Paris on Friday.