Ato fifth in ‘B’ sprint at Gaz de France

SAINT-DENIS: Trinidad and Tobago’s sprint star Ato Boldon made an improved performance yesterday at the Gaz de France track and field meeting in Paris.

The former world 200 metres champion placed fifth in the “B” 100 metres sprint clocking 10.30 seconds in the Gaz de France Golden League run. Winner of the race was American Coby Williams in 10.18 with John Capel, also of the US second in 10.26. Third was Nigerian Uchenna Emedolu (10.26).Coming fourth was Issa-Aime Nthepe of France in 10.29. In the “A” Division race US champion Bernard Williams upstaged Olympic winner Maurice Greene. Williams won in 10.05 seconds, his best performance of the season, edging Nigeria’s Deji Aliu in 10.07 and Greene in 10.11, his same finish and time as at a meet in Lausanne, Switzerland on  Tuesday. That night, Aliu headed Williams.

Greene — who held up the start by false-starting — was well short of his year’s best mark of 9.94. Romania’s Olympic 5,000-metre champion Gabriela Szabo produced a stunning late sprint to overtake Morocco’s Zhor El Kamch in the home stretch and win the 3,000 in eight minutes, 34.09 seconds — the fastest time in the world this year. Sprinter Gail Devers also showed her god form, storming home to take the 100-metre hurdles in 12.49.