Australia's Olympic pole vault champion Steve Hooker eased to victory at the Paris-Bercy indoor meeting here on Friday, but failed again in his bid to snatch Sergei Bubka's 16-year-old world record of 6.15m. Hooker cleared 6.00m with France's Romain Mesnil and Derek Miles of the United States finishing on 5.72m. The Australian arrived in Paris fresh from achieving 6.06m at the Boston Indoor Games last weekend, the second-best performer of all-time. Hooker's three shots at 6.16 were missed at Bercy Arena. “I wasn't very well, not very fresh. I didn't think about the record,” said Hooker who has been suffering from a fever. I hope to do a good jump in Donetsk.” Hooker will head for Donetsk on Sunday to take part in a meeting created by Bubka. Daba wins 5,000 Ethiopia's Bekana Daba notched a world-leading time of 13min 17.89sec to win the 5,000m at the Tyson Invitational indoor athletics meeting in Arkansas Friday, becoming the ninth-fastest performer of all-time. Galen Rupp finished second in an American record 13:18.12. Rupp became the 10th-fastest performer ever, and broke the previous American record of 13:20.55, which was was set by Doug Padilla in 1982, four years before Rupp was born. The American had taken the lead with two and a half laps left, but couldn't hold it as Daba moved to the front with one lap remaining. Bianca Knight, the 2008 US collegiate indoor champion, won the women's 200m in a world-leading time of 22.88sec. Jamaica's Nickeshsa Anderson was second in 23.60 and 2008 Olympic 4x400m gold medalist Natasha Hastings was third in 23.70. American Jennifer Stuczynski won the women's pole vault with a clearance of 4.63m, but was unable to improve on the 4.82m American record she notched at the Boston Indoor Games last weekend. Sturrup shines Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas equalled the fastest indoor time in the world this season over 60m on Friday with 7.17 seconds at the indoor meeting in Germany. The 37-year-old, who was the 2001 world champion, equalled the time of United States sprinter Murielle Ahoure set on January 17. Ireland's David Gillick won the 400m in a world-leading time of 46.18sec while Qatar runner James Kwalia won the 5,000m in 13min 25.69sec to become the world's fastest man so far this season over the distance. Bolt honored The honors keep piling up for triple Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, who was named Jamaica's Sportsman of the Year for 2008 on Friday. The announcement by the RJR Sports Foundation came as no surprise. Bolt, who electrified the Beijing Games with victories in the 100m and 200m as well as the 4x100m relay had already been feted as his country's athlete of the year. Olympic gold medalists Veronica Campbell-Brown and Melaine Walker shared the Sportswoman of the Year award. West Indies bowler Jerome Taylor was runner-up to Bolt. Shelly-Ann Fraser collected the People's Choice Award, voted on by the Jamaican public.
