L.J. van Zyl of South Africa and Lashinda Demus of the United States set world-best times this year in the 400-meter hurdles at the Herculis Super Grand Prix on Tuesday. Van Zyl's late burst over the final 10 meters took him past Bershawn Jackson – the 2005 world champion and Olympic bronze medalist last year in Beijing - who looked to be coasting to victory. Van Zyl won in 47.94 seconds, beating Jackson's mark of 48.03 set at the US Championships last month. Three days after breaking her own 2009 world-best time at the Crystal Palace meet, Demus improved with 53.63 – a fraction quicker than the 53.65 she ran at the meet in London on Saturday. Demus had also set a season's best when she ran 53.78 last month at the US Championships. Maggie Vessey of the US also set a world-best time for 2009 in the women's 800. Vessey even surprised herself by clocking 1 minute, 57.84 seconds to beat Russian Anna Alminova's mark of 1:57.86 set in Cheboksary, Russia, only five days ago. Less than three weeks ahead of the world championships in Berlin, Croatian high jumper Blanca Vlasic narrowly beat Germany's Ariane Friedrich. Both passed 2.03 meters, but Vlasic did so at the second attempt, while Friedrich did so on her third go. Both then failed to pass 2.05. Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt of the US won the men's 400, despite a difficult start. World record-holder and Olympic champion Dayron Robles of Cuba won the 110 hurdles, but accepts he still needs some improvement before Berlin. Elsewhere, Shelly-Ann Fraser won the women's 100 in 10.91. Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie of the Bahamas was second in her season's best of 10.97. Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica was third in 11.03. UK picks Chambers Former disgraced sprinter Dwain Chambers was named in Britain's squad on Tuesday for next month's world athletics championships in Berlin. The 31-year-old, who in 2006 completed a two-year ban for using the steroid THG, was barred from the Olympics last year because of British Olympic Association (BOA) rules, but is part of the 60-strong team named by UK Athletics. Defending 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu is also included despite concerns over a hamstring injury that caused the Olympic gold-medal winner to miss last week's London Grand Prix. Other big names selected in the women's squad include Paula Radcliffe, Jessica Ennis and Lisa Dobriskey. Olympic silver medalists Phillips Idowu and Germaine Mason along with Martyn Rooney and Mohammad Farah.
