Athletics: Chambers imposes superiority over Greene once again

British sprinter turns on power to defeat world record holder for fourth time as full house is treated to night of electrifying competition

Dwain Chambers produced an awesome display of power and determination at the Norwich Union Grand Prix here last night, where he laid claim to be the world's No 1 sprinter by forging ahead of the world and Olympic champion Maurice Greene in the final 30 metres of their 100 metres head-to-head. Chambers stopped the clock at 9.98sec, with Greene given third place, one-hundredth of a second behind Tim Montgomery's 10.05.

The closing strides had seen a reaction more usually witnessed at football grounds, as the packed stands filled with capacity 17,000 spectators rose to their feet, some punching the air and many yelling to urge Chambers towards the line.

It was the sweetest of victories for Chambers, in front of his home crowd, who took off on a victory lap at tremendous speed.

In cold reflection, the new European champion gained his race victory in the opening 25 metres of the event, as Greene powered from his blocks first but stumbled over his first three strides. His momentum, and the race, was lost.

It is Chambers' fourth victory over Greene this season, and surely marks him out as being the chief challenger to the American's world crown in Paris next year.

The corresponding women's race saw a return to form for Marion Jones, who reversed the placings from last year's world championship final when she was beaten by Zhanna Pintusevich-Block.

The Ukrainian was never really in the race which Jones won in 10.97sec. It was the first time the two women had faced one another on the track since Edmonton and the world championship final 12 months ago.

"There was a lot of pressure," Jones said. "People have asked me about motivation, but what more motivation do you need than to line up against the world champion. The race was fine, I just felt good, it's as simple as that."

There was a moment last night, just before nine o'clock, when British athletics was finally forced to consider a future without Colin Jackson.

Jackson has been an ever-present in British teams it seems forever, but certainly since he won a silver medal at the European Junior Championships over 110 metres hurdles in 1985. Since then, Jackson has won another 36 medals – 20 of them gold – at international championships, the last being his fourth European title in Munich this month.

But at 35, the Welshman has decided he will compete outdoors no more, and he chose this London Grand Prix to make an emotional final bow.

Jackson's introduction easily drew the largest cheer of the night, his lap of honour prompting a standing ovation from every person in the stadium. It mattered little that Jackson finished only third in 13.37sec in his final 110 metres hurdles race in Britain. "I wanted to fly when I was on the line, never mind run," Jackson, Britain's most medalled athlete in history, said.

"It was amazing, such emotion. I didn't know how I was going to feel tonight, but when they announced my name I thought I wouldn't even be able to run. I am sorry I didn't win, but losing to Allen Johnson is no disgrace."

Jackson will race again, at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham next March, his final swansong, and there he will again be up against the world champion, Johnson.

The winner last night in 13.23sec, Johnson paid tribute to Jackson: "I'm very sorry to see Colin go, I have always looked up to him."

But that was the only example of a mutual admiration society on show amid some bitter rivalries last night.

It was the women's 5,000 metres that set the breathless pace for the night, with pacemakers towing the Olympic gold medallist Gabriela Szabo and Ethiopian's Berhane Adere around the opening laps at such a speed that they entered the final lap half a straight clear of Sonia O'Sullivan, Ireland's double European silver medallist.

To the astonishment of the crowd, just when Szabo was expected to kick clear, it was Adere – the bronze medallist in front of Britain's Paula Radcliffe at 10,000m at last year's World Championships – to break clear, the tall Ethiopian's long stride bringing her home in a UK all-comer's record 14min 33.65sec.

O'Sullivan duly came in third in 14:46.97, a season's best for the Irish woman, and, importantly for her confidence, more than half a minute clear of Marta Dominguez, the Spaniard who had nipped in ahead of her in Munich for the European title.

There were surprises throughout the evening, not the least being Yuri Borzakovski actually going with the lead pace in the men's 800 metres. The 21-year-old Russian is a notorious "head waiter'' runner in the 800 metres, but this time tried new tactics which paid the dividend of victory in 1:44.78, just ahead of David Krummenacker of the United States.

From the very first, the meeting exuded quality. The men's 400m hurdles, for instance, included the Olympic champion, World champion, the European champion and the Commonwealth champion. In the tightest of finishes, it was Felix Sanchez, the World champion from the Dominican Republic, who held on to win in 48.08, 100th of a second ahead of the European gold medallist, France's Stéphane Diagana.

Chris Rawlinson, the Englishman who won gold at the Manchester Commonwealth Games, was not even the first Britain to finish, as he faded badly in the final 120 metres to finish seventh in 49.73, with the rapidly improving Matt Elias, from Cardiff, in front of him in 49.59. Both Britons, though, placed ahead of strange and listless Angelo Taylor. Two years ago, in Sydney, the American was a world-beater, winning Olympic gold. Here he trailed the field from the gun, crossing the finish line and tailing off in 50.97.

RESULTS FROM CRYSTAL PALACE

MEN: 110m hurdles: 1 A Johnson (US) 13.23sec; 2 L Wade (US) 13.26; 3 C Jackson (GB) 13.37; 4 D Ross (US) 13.45; 5 S Olijar (Lat) 13.50; 6 S Bownes (SA) 13.63; 7 F Schwarthoff (Ger) 13.93; 8 E Lichtenegger (Aut) 13.97. 200m: 1 D Patton (US) 20.25sec; 2 R Clay (US) 20.34; 3 M Devonish (GB) 20.43; 4 C Malcolm (GB) 20.77; 5 D Grant (GB) 20.79; 6 T Douglas (Neth) 20.82; 7 D Demeritte (Bah) 20.84; 8 P Johnson (Aus) 21.25. 400m hurdles: 1 F Sanchez (Dom Rep) 48.08sec; 2 J Carter (US) 48.09; 3 H Al Somaily (S Arabia) 48.62; 4 S Diagana (Fr) 48.68; 5 J Woody (US) 49.13; 6 M Elias (GB) 49.59; 7 C Rawlinson (GB) 49.73; 8 Taylor (US) 50.97. 800m: 1 Y Borzakovskiy (Rus) 1min 44.78sec; 2 D Krummenacker (US) 1:44.87; 3 J Mutua (Ken) 1:45.02; 4 A Reina (Sp) 1:45.69; 5 A Bucher (Swit) 1:45.73; 6 K Robinson (US) 1:46.19; 7 J McIlroy (GB) 1:46.40; 8 A Okken (Neth) 1:46.49. 3,000m: 1 B Limo (Ken) 7min 50.29sec; 2 P Bitok (Ken) 7:50.54; 3 L Kipkoskei (Ken) 7:50.68; 4 D El Himer (Fr) 7:51.30; 5 R Limo (Ken) 7:52.06; 6 A Garcia (Sp) 7:52.09; 7 H Mekkonen (Eth) 7:52.18; 8 S Lebed (Ukr) 7:52.26. Javelin: 1 S Makarov (Rus) 86.70m; 2. E Rags (Lat) 85.32; 3 A Ivanov (Rus) 83.78; 4 B Henry (Ger) 83.13; 5 H Haatainen (Fin) 82.68; 6 S Backley (GB) 82.49; 7 A Varnik (Est) 81.75; 8 D Trafas (Pol) 79.41; 9 M Guzdek (Cz Rep) 77.17; 10 M Hill (GB) 76.49. WOMEN: 100m: 1 M Jones (US) 10.97sec; 2 Z Pintusevich-Block (Ukr) 11.11; 3 C Gaines (US) 11.12; 4 T Lawrence (Jam) 11.17; 5 D Ferguson (Bah) 11.22; 6 K Gevaert (Bel) 11.45; 7 J Maduaka (GB) 11.55; 8 A Oyepitan (GB) 11.56. 5,000m: 1 B Adere (Eth) 14min 33.65sec; 2 G Szabo (Rom) 14:34.29; 3 S O'Sullivan (Irl) 14:46.97; 4 T Dibaba (Eth) 15:04.54; 5 M Dominguez (Sp) 15:18.80; 6 E Kavalioglu (Tur) 15:19.13; 7 S Kosgei (Ken) 15:20.17; 8 L Biktasheva (Rus) 15:23.91. 100m hurdles: 1 B Foster (Jam) 12.65sec; 2 G Devers (US) 12.71; 3 G Alozie (Sp) 12.84; 4 J Adams (US) 12.96; 5 A Kirkland (US) 13.02; 6 V Dixon (Jam) 13.07; 7 L Golding (Jam) 13.12; 8 J Pratt (GB) 13.37. Long jump: 1 M Maggi (Br) 6.78m; 2 T Vaszi (Hun) 6.70; 3 J Johnson (GB) 6.60; 4 O Rublyova (Rus) 6.56; 5 T Ter-Mesrobyan (Rus) 6.56; 6 J Edwards (Bah) 6.55; 7 B Thompson (Aus) 6.47; 8 V Gotovska (Lat) 6.36; 9 C Montaner (SP) 6.32.