Gatlin, Campbell-Brown victorious in Beijing

US sprinter Justin Gatlin smashed the season's best 100m time he set less than a week ago as he claimed victory at the IAAF World Challenge in Beijing Wednesday. It was also a memorable night for Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown, who went some way to putting her doping controversy nightmare behind her by winning the women's 100m. Gatlin comfortably won his race with a time of 9.87, slicing five-hundredths of a second off the 9.92 he clocked to win last Sunday's Diamond League meet in Shanghai. Sunday's result was the first time this season the veteran sprinter had dipped under ten seconds, and bettering it in Beijing gave Gatlin his second successive victory at the world challenge, which is held at China's iconic National Stadium. The venue, which is also known as the 'Bird's Nest', is set to stage next year's World Athletics Championships. Meanwhile, Olympic champion Ivan Ukhov cleared 2.36 metres to win the high jump event ahead of homegrown talent Zhang Guowei (2.29) and compatriot Daniil Tsyplakov, who cleared 2.25. Trinidad and Tobago's Keshorn Walcott recaptured some of his old magic by winning the javelin event with a throw of 83.94m. The London 2012 gold medallist finished a disappointing 7th in Shanghai on Sunday, behind Ihab Abdelrahman El Sayed who cleared 89.21m. The Egyptian could only manage a throw of 74.03m in Beijing, finishing tenth. Chinese 110m hurdler Xie Wenjun claimed his second victory in less than a week, finishing first in Beijing with a time of 13.31 seconds after he won his first Diamond League race in Shanghai. US athletes Ryan Wilson and Kevin Craddock finished second and third, while last year's winner and current world champion David Oliver withdrew with an injury, but expects to be at the Diamond League meeting in Eugene on May 31. In the women's disciplines, Campbell-Brown claimed victory with a time of 11.14 seconds, ahead of compatriots Simone Facey and Trisha-Ann Hawthorne. The former Olympic champion spent 10 months on the sidelines before having a two-year ban overturned in February. World champion Brianna Rollins won the women's 100 metres hurdles with a time of 12.58 seconds. London 2012 bronze medallist Kellie Wells came second with a time of 12.89 seconds, while Yvette Lewis of Panama finished third at 12.96. The winning time equalled the world leading time shared by Rollins and fellow US hurdler Kristi Castlin. The World Challenge is the fifth leg of the second-tier tour organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Source: AFP