Athletics/Golden League: World record holder and world champion Hicham El Guerrouj lost his first race since Sydney 2000 when trailing in in eighth place in the men's 1,500m at the Golden Gala meeting in Rome last night

The winner, Bahrain's Rashid Ramzi set an Asian record of 3:30.25, ahead of Kenya's Bernard Lagat. Britain's Michael East was seventh in a personal best of 3:32.37, ahead of El Guerrouj in 3:32.64.

Slovenia's Jolanda Ceplak ran the fastest 800m this year so far. The 2002 European champion held off the challenge by Russia's Svetlana Cherkasova to cross the line in one minute 57.68 seconds.

Ceplak beat the previous mark set by Maria Mutola by four-hundreths of a second..

Her feat was matched in the men's 800m by world record holder Wilson Kipketer, who ran 1:43.88.

In the men's 100m, Ghana's Zakari Aziz won in 10.10 ahead of Jamaica's Thomas Dwight, with Britain's Darren Campbell setting a season's best of 10.21 in finishing fifth.

Campbell also set a season's best in the men's 200m, with his 20.59 enough for sixth in a race won impressively by Stephane Buckland.

American Allen Johnson edged out China's Xiang Liu in a photo finish to a high quality men's 110m hurdles, in which both runners were clocked at 13.11.

Tonique Williams-Darling of the Bahamas came out on top in the women's 400m, winning in a world-leading 49.25, ahead of Mexico's Ana Guevara.

Britain's Chris Rawlinson was unable to end Felix Sanchez's awesome three-year unbeaten run in the men's 400m hurdles.

Sanchez won in 48.43 seconds, with Rawlinson just edged out by France's Naman Keita in the race for second place.

Sanchez powered home in a season's best time of 48.43 seconds to secure a 37th successive victory.