meter hurdles in a failed attempt at the world record while fellow American Tyson Gay matched the season's second best time of 19.72 seconds in winning the 200m at the Monaco Diamond League meeting Thursday. Oliver, on a newly refurbished track and with a slight tail wind, topped the meet record in 13.01. The Olympic bronze medalist won ahead of fellow American Ryan Wilson, who finished in 13.13. Jamaican Dwight Thomas was third in 13.29. Last week in Paris, Oliver clocked 12.89, just 0.02 short of Dayron Robles' world record. Gay, who headlined the sprints in Monaco in the absence of world record-holder Usain Bolt, got off to a strong start and held off Jamaican Yohan Blake's surge in the closing meters to set a new meet record. Blake was second in 19.78, and American Wallace Spearmon third in 19.93. On a warm, damp evening marked by seven new world leading performances this season, also winners were American Carmelita Jeter in the 100 meters, Jermaine Gonzalez of Jamaica at 400m, Kenyan Silas Kiplagat at 1,500m, Alysia Johnson of the United States at 800m and American Dwight Phillips in the long jump. Jeter improved her personal best this season to win in 10.82 seconds, ahead of Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown, who finished second in 10.98. Campbell-Brown was returning to competition for the first time since the Eugene, Oregon meet on July 3, where she set the fastest time this year in 10.78 ahead of third-placed Jeter. Gonzalez ran the fastest 400 this year in 44.40, beating fellow Jamaican Ricardo Chambers and Christopher Brown of the Bahamas. Gonzalez beat the previous season best of 44.49 set by American Jeremy Wariner in Paris, where the Jamaican had to be content with second place. American men swept the 400m hurdles, with Bershawn Jackson winning in 47.78 seconds despite a late charge from Angelo Taylor, who finished second just 0.01 behind. Justin Garmin was third in 48.65. Jamaican Kaliese Spencer won the women's race in 53.63 ahead of Natalya Antyukh of Russia and American Sheena Tosta. World silver medalist Lashinda Demus of the United States, who was looking for her fourth Diamond League victory, took an excellent start and looked set for an easy win before she stuttered on the last hurdle and ended fourth in 54.54. The 20-year-old unheralded Kiplagat upset race favorite Augustine Choge to win the 1,500 and establish a best world mark this season in 3:29.27, the 10th best time ever in the event. Kiplagat shattered his personal record of 3:34.28 by more than five seconds. Amine Laalou of Morocco was second in 3:29.53, and Choge third in 3:30.22. World champion Yargelis Savigne won the triple jump with a mark of 15.09 meters, setting a new season's best. Phillips posted the longest jump this year at 8.46. The Diamond League series takes a two-week break during the European and African championships.
