Gatlin and Jones win US titles

Athletics : Justin Gatlin and Marion Jones showed their mettle as present and past Olympic 100metres champions when clinching…

Athletics: Justin Gatlin and Marion Jones showed their mettle as present and past Olympic 100metres champions when clinching the men's and women's US titles in Indianapolis.

With the weather having caused the postponement of their heats in the opening session, both speeded to impressive victories ahead of world-class opposition.

Gatlin and Jones clinched victories in impressive times of 9.93seconds and 11.10secs respectively, booking their places in Team USA for the IAAF World Cup this September in Athens.

"I'm happy to get the win - a win is a win," said Gatlin, who finished ahead Tyson Gay and Shawn Crawford, who clocked marks of 10.07secs and 10.26secs.

READ MORE

The Olympic and world champion added: "I wanted to come out here and put on a show for the fans. Running three rounds was a big factor and maybe why I wasn't able to produce a great time."

Jones, who on the comeback trail after a couple of miserable years in competition, defeated last summer's world champion Lauryn Williams by 0.07secs in a time of 11.10secs, with the runners-up's predecessor Torri Edwards third in
11.22secs.

"It is a satisfying feeling," said Jones after her close win. "I was able to endure a lot of things the past few years on the track with some sentimental value to me. It feels great. It was a challenging three rounds and experience plays a big part in it."