Gay blows away the cobwebs with 100m win

AMERICAN Tyson Gay twice dipped under 10 seconds to win his sprint showdown with Asafa Powell at the Aviva British Grand Prix in Gateshead yesterday.

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 despite a fractionally stronger headwind, overhauling Powell's early lead to snatch victory on the line in 9.94secs, with former world record holder Powell second in 9.96s.

Gay, who took silver behind triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt in the World Championships in Berlin last year, insisted he was "just trying to get the cobwebs out" in the heats, his first 100m race this year.

Powell, who equalled the world record in Gateshead four years ago, won the second heat in 10.11secs, but was easing down noticeably over the final 20 metres and a similar approach in the final cost him the race. The Jamaican got off to a superb start 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."

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."

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 Ennis, who was 0.40s outside her personal best. "I would have liked to have run quicker. I'm not sure what the wind was but it felt quite breezy." 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 men's 110m hurdles, Jamaica's Dwight Thomas won in 13.38s with Britain's Andy Turner second in 13.41.

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.