Isinbayeva stakes early claim for $1m jackpot

Russia's Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva won the women's pole vault competition at the Berlin Golden League meeting yesterday, staking a claim for the $1 million jackpot for the winner of all six major meetings.

Dressed in the clothes of her new Chinese sponsor since signing a reported world-record deal for a track-and-field athlete worth $1.5 million a year, Isinbayeva, the world record holder, was far from her best.

In front of 64,000 spectators at Berlin's Olympic stadium, site of August's world athletics championships, the Russian sealed her win with a jump of 4.83 metres, five centimetres ahead of Monika Pyrek of Poland and third-placed Brazilian Fabiana Murer who jumped 4.68.

Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele confirmed he is also a favourite for the jackpot when he won the men's 5,000m in a time of 13:00.76, ahead of Kenyan duo Abraham Chebii and Micah Kogo.

In the men's 100m Daniel Bailey from Antigua clinched victory in 10.03 seconds, ahead of Briton Simeon Williamson who clocked a mediocre 10.13.

American Dexter Faulk recorded a personal best of 13.18 seconds to win the men's 110m hurdles ahead of fellow countrymen Ryan Wilson and David Payne.

Chris Brown, from the Bahamas, won the 400m in 45.61 seconds with Gary Kikaya from the Democratic Republic of Congo just behind him in second on 45.68 and Michael Mathieu, also from the Bahamas, third.

Germany's Ariane Friedrich claimed victory in the women's high jump, recording the world's best jump of the year with 2.06m which was also a German record.

She attempted to equal the world record at 2.09, coming agonisingly close in the second of three failed attempts. Croatian Blanka Vlasic, second with a jump of 2.03m, also failed to equal the world-record mark.

In the women's 100m hurdles, American Damu Cherry breezed to victory with a time of 12.76 seconds ahead of Jamaican duo Delloreen Ennis-London and Lacena Golding-Clarke.

American Sanya Richards was dominant in the women's 400m with a time of 49.57 seconds, well ahead of Amantle Montsho from Botswana.

Jamaican Kerron Stewart won the women's 100m, clocking 11 seconds flat with American Stephanie Durst second on 11.15.