Tyson Gay won the 100 meters in Brussels in 9.79 seconds, and with it claimed the Diamond League trophy for the season's top performer, but only after a false start scare. In the absence of injured world record holder Usain Bolt, American Gay was looking to beat his personal best of 9.69, the time he shares with Bolt as the second fastest ever, but the weather at the King Baudouin proved to be too damp and unseasonably cold. The temperature did not break 15 C (60F) but the cheers of a sellout crowd of 47,000 did warm him. The starting gun also gave him a jolt. The runners were called back after the first start, and there were whispers in the crowd that Gay may have been the offender and could be expelled from the race. “I didn't false start, but the camera zoomed in on me. That put me off a bit, “ Gay said. There was a sigh of relief eventually when everybody was called back for the start. Gay was slow out of the blocks on the second attempt and had to work hard most of the race to get ahead of Jamaican Nesta Carter, whose 9.85 was a personal best. Another Jamaican, Yohan Blake, was third in 9.91. “I didn't execute the start of the race well. This is a fast track and you need to take advantage of it. I didn't,” he said. Gay's time of 9.79 was 0.01 seconds short of his world leading time and still 0.21 off Bolt's world record. Under pressure, Gay kept a cool head and forged ahead for the win. It earned him US$40,000 and a diamond for winning the season-long competition. One week after taking the 400-meter title at the Weltklasse meet in Zurich, Allyson Felix added the 200 at the Van Damme to become the only double Diamond League trophy winner in the competition's inaugural season. She had to fight till the finishing line for a time of 22.61 and hold off US compatriot Shalonda Solomon by 0.09 seconds. She too complained about the cold. “I was a little stiff. I had hoped for a better time. I looked down at my legs and they were purple but it was a lot of fun.” Janeth Jepkosgei won the 800 meters Diamond League trophy, leaving South Africa's Caster Semenya third in the race. Kenya's Jepkosgei, the 2007 world champion, took the lead in the final straight and finished in 1 minute, 58.82 seconds, beating Russian Mariya Savinova by 0.67 seconds. Semenya hung back in the pack for most of the race and only charged in the final straightaway to finish in her season's best of 1:59.65. In the men's 800, David Rudisha could not match his world record performance of last Sunday but still produced the kick to hold off his main rival Abubaker Kaki. The Kenyan was 2.41 seconds of his record pace, but it was enough to win the Diamond League trophy ahead of Kaki. In the 100 hurdles, LoLo Jones continued her recent slump and lost the diamond trophy to Canada's Priscilla Lopes-Schliep in the last race. The Canadian dominated from the start and set a time of 12.54 seconds, leaving Jones in fifth place with 12.78. Reese Hoffa got a second successive Diamond League shot put victory over fellow American Christian Cantwell with a meeting record of 22.16 metres on his final attempt. Cantwell, whose defeat to Hoffa in London two weeks ago was his first in 21 meetings, briefly held the lead after throwing 21.62 on the last round only for his compatriot, next in the circle, to better it. World and European champion Blanka Vlasic maintained her domination of the high jump, clearing two metres to end her Diamond League season unbeaten.
