BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) _ Asafa Powell recovered from one of the worst starts in his career to win the 100 metres in 9.99 seconds at the Van Damme Memorial on Friday, while Perdita Felicien stumbled to a sixth-place finish in the 100 hurdles.
Felicien, of Pickering, Ont., crossed the line in 12.78 seconds, well back of race winner Michelle Perry of the U.S. (12.55). Brigitte Foster-Hylton of Jamaica was second in 12.71, narrowly edging American Lolo Jones.
For Powell, it was the 10th time this season he has run under 10 seconds and the victory maintains the Jamaican's chances to win at least a share of the $1 million US Golden League jackpot.
Instead of beating his own world record of 9.77 _ which he equalled in Zurich last week _ Powell recovered well to come home first. His blistering final kick edged Americans Marcus Brunson by .07 seconds and Leonard Scott by .12 seconds.
``I wasn't even ready in the blocks. I just heard set and boom,'' an angry Powell said.
While his opening 10 meters were slow, Powell said the last 90 may have been his best ever.
``I was feeling good, I felt like I was going to run a world record,'' Powell said. ``Maybe that was the fastest I have ever run over the last 90 meters.''
Jeremy Wariner won the 400 in 44.29 to match Powell's perfect record in Golden League meets. Tyler Christopher of Chilliwack, B.C., placed ninth in 45.88.
The 5,000 world champion, Tirunesh Dibaba, and U.S. 400 metre runners Sanya Richards and Wariner joined Powell with five wins in five Golden League meets so far.
The sixth and final meet is set for Berlin on Sept. 3. All athletes with six wins share the jackpot.
Dibaba won her 5,000 in a stirring battle with world record holder and Olympic champion Meseret Defar, also of Ethiopia.
The two went off fast and were some six seconds under world record pace at the 3K stage. They then turned it into a tactical race and let Britain's Jo Pavey return to set the pace.
With one lap to go, and the record out of sight, Dibaba made sure of keeping her perfect Golden League record intact with a final kick that Defar could not match.
Dibaba crossed in 14 minutes 30.63 seconds, missing the mark by 6.10 seconds.
Richards dominated her 400 from the start. She was never threatened as she cruised across the line in 50.02 seconds, almost a second off her season's best.
Wariner's race was delayed by almost 15 minutes because of an electrical failure and he failed to break the 44-second mark. As usual though, the American was in a league of his own, crossing the line in 44.29, .33 seconds ahead of Congo's Gary Kikaya.
In the 10,000, Kenya's Micah Kogo set a world leading time of 26 minutes 35.63 minutes, beating Iretrea's Zersenay Tadesse by 1.62 seconds. Kogo improved his personal best by 40 seconds.
In the 800, Morocco's Hasna Benhassi won her first Golden League event of the year, breaking free on the final bend and finishing in 1:59.06 seconds, holding off Janeth Jepkosgei of Kenya by .59 seconds.
