London:
Jamaican Usain Bolt again prospered but it was a mixed bag for some of the other favoured athletes on the second day of the London Diamond League meeting in the Olympic Stadium on Saturday.
Bolt anchored Jamaica's 4x100 metres relay team as they completed the weekend's track action with an easy victory. On Friday (July 26), Bolt had run 9.85 seconds to win the 100 metres and he was as popular as ever on Saturday as he delivered in style ahead of next month's world championships in Moscow.
Mo Farah delivered another devastating display of his power, confidence and versatility as he crushed the field to win 3,000 metres on an emotional return to the venue.
Two weeks after becoming the sixth-fastest man of all time over 1,500 metres and two before he bids for another 5,000/10,000 double at the Moscow world championships, Farah turned on the after-burners with 500 metres to go to triumph in seven minutes 36.85 seconds.
It was not the British record many had predicted but was a personal best and was more than enough to satisfy 60,000 screaming fans doing their best to recreate the noise that helped drive him to his stunning distance double on the same track 12 months ago.
While it was business as usual for Bolt and Farah, women's 100 metres Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce placed fourth in the final of that event, which was won by Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare. Although, Fraser-Pryce did run 10.77 in the heat so still has good form heading to Russia.
The relief was clear on Sally Pearson's face when the 100 metres hurdles world and Olympic champion crossed the line for her first Diamond League victory of the season.
Pearson, who powered to the Olympic title on the same track last year, has been struggling with her form since returning in June from a hamstring tear and with the world championships next month the strain had been starting to show.
But on Saturday in front of a 60,000 crowd some of the Olympic magic returned for the Australian and after reaching the first hurdle just in front, she accelerated away from the field to win in a season's best time of 12.65 seconds, allowing herself a smile and a small whoop of delight at the finish.
It was not a happy return to London however for men's 110 metres Olympic champion Aries Merritt who failed to finish the final, won by fellow American David Oliver.
The women's shot put and men's pole vault competitions were dominated by those favoured for glory in Moscow.
Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie produced a world lead of 6.02 metres to win the pole vault while Valerie Adams, New Zealand's two time Olympic champion, threw 20.90 to easily win the shot competition.
