Jamaica's Asafa Powell closed out his season with a sizzling run of 9.83 seconds to win the 100 metres at the World Athletics Final yesterday.

Powell, who lowered the world record to 9.74 earlier this month in Italy, clocked the third fastest time of the season to finish well clear of Jaysuma Saidy Ndure and take the $30,000 first prize on day one of the two-day competition.

Croatian world champion Blanka Vlasic easily won the high jump, clearing two metres at the first attempt, but Russian world and Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva was in much less commanding form in a pole vault thriller.

Isinbayeva needed a jump-off with Poland's Monika Pyrek to clinch victory and extend an unbeaten run that goes back to August, 2006.

Pyrek cleared a personal best 4.82 metres to put the Russian under the sort of pressure she is not used to.

Isinbayeva, who secured half of a million dollar Golden League jackpot last weekend, was able to match it but she sat out 4.87 and failed her three attempts at 4.92.

To separate the two women, the bar went back down to 4.87. Isinbayeva cleared it on her first attempt and Pyrek failed, leaving the Russian the winner.

The sprints were plagued by false starts, with four alone in the women's 200 metres, won by France's Muriel Hurtis-Houairi.

There were two more in the men's 100 metres before Powell surged to a championship record in a remarkable time given the slight headwind.

With Jeremy Wariner absent, LaShawn Merritt duly won the men's 400m in 44.58 ahead of Canada's Tyler Christopher, while world champion Michelle Perry just held off a challenge from Spain's Josephine Onyia to win the 100m hurdles.

The men's 400m hurdles was even closer, with Poland's Marek Plawgo getting the decision on a photo finish with Kerron Clement of the US. Both men were timed at 48.35.

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