Sport

Bliss, Weakley place second

HURDLERS IAN WEAKLEY and Andrea Bliss earned runners-up spots at the FBK Games in the Netherlands yesterday.

Weakley placed second in the men's 400 metre in 49.11 seconds. He was clipped by South Africa's Louis Van Zyl who won the event in 49.09.

Bliss clocked 12.89 for second in the women's 100m hurdles. The former St. Jago High student was runner-up to one. Sweden's Susanna Kallur who clocked 12.65.

Marion Jones finished second in the 100 metres in a modest 11.29 seconds.

Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas won the race in 11.15, and Britain's Joice Maduaka was third in 11.46.

"I thought I'd be able to break 11 seconds today," said Jones, who will race again on Wednesday at the Grand Prix Regione Lombardia in Milan, Italy. "I'm training right and taking it race by race."

Marion shunned

The three-time Olympic gold medalist, who has a personal best of 10.65 in the 100, has been shunned by many European meet organisers since being linked to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroid scandal in the United States. She has never failed a test and denies using performance enhancing drugs.

The Euro Meetings Group, which represents many of Europe's top meets, has recommended not inviting Jones to any events.

"It's beyond my control," Jones said. "If they think (I'm doping), they're wrong," she said.

Also, Kenenisa Bekele won the 10,000m in 26:28.72, the best time in the world this year. Abebe Dinkessa took second.

American Allen Johnson won the 110 hurdles in a meet-record 13.18, topping the old mark of 13.32 set by Mark McKoy of Canada in 1995. Marcel van der Westen of the Netherlands was second in 13.63, and Serhiy Demydyuk of Ukraine finished third in 13.66.

"It's nice to be able to put forward a good effort this early in the season," Johnson said, whose previous best this year was 13.39.

The FBK Games are held in honour of Fanny Blankers Koen, who won four gold medals in the 1948 Olympics and died last year.