Asafa Powell wins the 100m in Paris as Jimmy Vicaut equals European record

PARIS - Jamaica's Asafa Powell claimed first place in the Men's 100m at the Diamond League Meeting in Paris on Saturday (July 4) but second-placed Jimmy Vicaut also had reason to celebrate as he equalled the European record. Powell ran a season best 9.81 seconds to take top spot in the Stade de France as Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt missed out through injury. Frenchman Jimmy Vicaut delighted the local support by finishing second with 9.86 seconds, equalling the European record set by Portugal's Francis Obikwelu in 2004. In the highly anticipated Women's 5000m race Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia came within five seconds of the world record when she finished with a time of 14:15.41 minutes. She beat her fellow countrywomen Almaz Ayana into second place with a time of 14:21.97. Greek pole vaulters Konstadinos Filippidis and Nikoleta Kiriakopoulou took top spot in the men and women's categories respectively. Filippidis' vault of 5.91m set a new national record for Greece while Kiriakopoulou's 4.83m makes her the current world leader in the women's discipline. South African Wayde van Niekerk set a new African record in the Men's 400m when he finished in a time of 43.96 seconds. Reigning Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada had to settle for second place with 44.17 seconds. Germany's Christina Schwanitz took top spot in the Women's Shot Put, throwing a distance of 20.31m. Two-time Olympic shot put champion Valerie Adams could only manage 5th place as she recovers from surgery on her right elbow and left shoulder, throwing 18.79. World champion Zuzana Hejnova of Czech Republic won the Women's 400m Hurdles with a seasons best time of 53.76 seconds. Denmark's Sara Petersen finished second with 53.99 seconds, Kemi Adekoya of Bahrain was third with a time of 54.12. In the Women's 800m World Champion Kenyan Eunice Jepkoech Sum sped away from the pack on the final straight to finish first with 1 minute 56.99 seconds. Cuban Rose Mary Almanza took second spot with 1:57.70, Selina Buechel of Switzerland finished third with 1:57.95. Caterine Ibargueen of Colombia took top spot in the Women's Triple Jump with a distance of 14.87m, ahead of Russian Yekaterina Koneva (14.72m) and Israel's Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko (14.56m) In the Men's 110m Hurdles Cuba's Orlando Ortega worked hard to overcome World Champion David Oliver. Ortega covered the distance in 12.94 seconds, Oliver in 12.98. Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won the Women's 100m with a time of 10.74 seconds, ahead of Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare (10.80 seconds) and English Gardner of the U.S. (10.97 seconds). –Reuters