Fit-again Gay edges out Powell in sprint showdown

Gay has been struggling with a hamstring problem this season, but stormed to victory in the opening heat in 9.96 seconds, despite running into a headwind of 1.6 metres per second.

And the 2007 world champion went even quicker in the final with a fractionally stronger headwind, overhauling Powell's early lead to snatch victory on the line in 9.94secs.

Jamaica's Powell, who clocked 9.96s, got off to a superb start in the final but admitted: "I got out very well but then I started to ease up a bit too much.

"Then I saw Tyson coming and I could not pick it up. But we are in good shape and this is how it's going to be all season, he'll win some and I'll win some.

"It's no setback though because I know what shape I'm in. I know I'll be ready for (Usain) Bolt next week (in Paris). I ran 9.96 in a headwind so that's pretty good."

Gay, the second fastest man in history behind Bolt, said: "I knew it was going to be a tough race and I'm happy to come away with the win. I'm still rusty.

"I really had to stretch to the finish line and he didn't see me coming today so I got the victory. The hamstring is still tight and that is something I am going to have to work on. But I can race this way all the time. I'm determined."

Elsewhere, double world champion Jessica Ennis could only finish eighth in the 200m in 23.55 seconds on her return to competition after two weeks out with a virus.

"I'm a little bit disappointed if I'm honest," said the 24-year-old. "I would have liked to have run quicker.

"I just spent two weeks in bed but you do pick up a virus now and then and it's so much better than having an injury. I think it's going to take a little bit just to get some shape back but by the time I get to Barcelona I should be ready to go."

However, there was better news for Ennis in the javelin as she threw a season's best of 46.15m in the second round, just 0.32m below her personal best.

In the 200m, Emily Freeman (Wakefield) equalled her season's best of 23.34 for sixth place.

Wakefield's Martyn Bernard was disappointed to only clear 2.20 for seventh in the high jump while Middlesborough's Chris Tomlinson was sixth in the long jump with a modest 7.80.

Commonwealth champion Lisa Dobriskey confirmed her return to form following injury with victory in the 1,500m, the 26-year-old winning in 4:03.69 ahead of American Morgan Urceny and fellow Britain Hannah England.

In the men's 110m hurdles, Jamaica's Dwight Thomas won in 13.38s with Britain's Andy Turner second in 13.41 and William Sharman, who beat Turner in the recent European Trials, third in a season's best of 13.43s.

British champion Martyn Rooney, who has broken the 45-second barrier twice this season, was disappointed to finish only third in the 400m, the 23-year-old clocking 45.44s in a race won by Jamaica's Ricardo Chambers. Compatriot Michael Bingham was second in a season's best of 45.08.

World bronze medallist Jenny Meadows could only finish eighth in the 800m, but was pleased to clock 2:01.07 after being out of action with calf and Achilles injuries which forced her to miss the final of the recent trials.

World champion Phillips Idowu won the triple jump with a best of 17.38m and said: "It's all coming together at the right time a couple of weeks before the Europeans."

And Mo Farah rounded off the action with a personal best of 13:05.66 in the 5,000m, although that was only good enough for seventh place in a race won by Kenya's Vincent Chepkok in a meeting record of 13:00.20.

Alex Kiwomya and Adam Hague (South Yorkshire), Abbi Carter (Humberside) and Jake Armstrong (West Yorkshire) were gold medallists at the English Schools Track and Field Championships at Birmingham at the weekend.

Kiwomya retained his junior boys 200m title. He safely negotiated his heat (22.40) and semi-final (22.45) before again outclassing the opposition in the final with a superb championship record of 22.36.

In the intermediate girls hammer, pre-competition favourite Carter smashed the previous record by two and a half metres with a huge throw of 54.78 metres.

Jake Armstrong, third last year, won the intermediate boys discus this time with a personal best throw of 53.17. He was only 11th in the qualifying rounds but came good when it mattered in the final with massive throw to win by more than three metres.

Hague continued a long line of South Yorkshire pole vault champions with victory in the junior vault with a 3.45 clearance. Kate Wasyliw (West Yorks) was runner-up in the junior 100m for the second year in succession, clocking 12.53

Longwood's Andrew Pearson was an easy winner of the Eccup 10 mile road race in Leeds yesterday winning by over three minutes from Ian Fisher. Pearson clocked 52:15 for the tough course.

Leeds City's Susan Partridge, in the final stages of her preparation for the European Marathon, was an easy winner of the women's race. Partridge was 18th overall in a field of over 500 in a time of 60:15