LINZ, Austria, CMC– World and Olympic 400 metre champion Kirani James continued his winning ways when he outpaced the field in the Gugl games in the Austrian City of Linz on Monday.
James clocked 44.46 to comfortably win his first race since his historic feat in capturing Olympic gold for Grenada and the OECS at the London Games two weeks ago.
Jonathan Borlee of Belgium led the 400-meter race before James overtook him in the final 100 meters to beat him by 0.64.
Calvin Smith of the United States was 0.88 back in third.
“If you come back from an emotional roller coaster like in London, you have to find your consistency again” James old reporters.
Double-amputee runner Oscar Pistorius of South Africa was sixth in 46.91 seconds.
Meantime, Nickel Ashmeade led a Jamaican sweep of the 100 after pre-race favorite Justin Gatlin pulled out hours before the start.
The American bronze medalist from the London Games had food poisoning.
Ashmeade clocked 10.03 seconds to beat his country man Michael Frater by 0.10 and Jason Young by 0.12.
Fellow Jamaican Samantha Henry-Robinson, who won silver at the 4×100 relay in London, won the women’s 100 in 11.15.
She edged second-place Gloria Asumnu of Nigeria by 0.04, and Laverne Jones-Ferrette of the U.S. Virgin Islands was third in 11.24.
American athletes dominated the 100 hurdles, taking the first four places.
Also, Olympic champion Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic won the 400-meter hurdles at the Gugl Games on Monday, three days after he was beaten at the Diamond League meet in Stockholm.
