Jamaican trio heats up NY

NEW YORK (AP):

Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown and Nesta Carter clocked world-leading indoor times to win the 60 metres events, while Vonette Dixon also took the women's 60 metres hurdles in a 2011 best at the 104th Millrose Games in Madison Square Garden on Friday night.

With her sights set on the World Championships in South Korea later this year, Campbell-Brown started her season with a strong showing. In fact, the toughest part of competing in the event for her was getting to New York.

Campbell-Brown, a two-time Olympic 200-metre gold medalist, made it from Florida late Thursday night after enduring 36 hours of flight delays because of the snowstorm that shut down New York area airports.

After a slow start out of the blocks, she blew past a strong field about 25 metres into the race, clocking a world-leading time of 7.11 seconds to beat American Lauryn Williams (7.22) and defending women's 60-metre champion Lisa Barber (7.23). Ukraine's Olesya Povh had held the previous world 2011 best of 7.14.

"I love competing in New York, I'm happy that I was able to get here," Campbell-Brown said.

Carter won the men's 60 in 6.52 seconds, beating American Mike Rodgers by 0.04 seconds. Trell Kimmons of the United States was third in 6.57. The previous 2011 best was 6.58 by American Joshua Norman.

Another Jamaican, Vonette Dixon, also won the women's 60-metre hurdles with a world-best time of 8.00 seconds, beating the previous best of 8.03 by Great Britain's Jessica Ennis.

A five-time Olympic medalist and a winner of five medals at the world championships, Campbell-Brown is preparing to compete in the 100m and 200m at the World Championships in South Korea beginning in late August.

"It's early in the season, it's a good way to start," she said. "It's a championship year and I will run each race to prepare. As of now I don't have a schedule, but we will run the necessary races to be ready for the trials and championships."

Williams, the 2004 Olympic 100-metre silver medalist, only competed in a few races in Europe last season - ask her and she'll tell you her last competition was at the 2009 worlds in Berlin - but she was pleased with her result and is mentally ready for the season.

Bernard Lagat was interested in only one thing when Deresse Mekonnen was asked if he'd be back to defend his title in the Wanamaker Mile. In fact, he had the follow-up question: "How old is he?"

"Oh, you still have a long ways, man," the 36-year-old Lagat said, upon hearing his competitor was just 23.

"At 35, I already had eight. So you can come every year," said Lagat, who won his first Wanamaker in 2001.

Mekonnen held off three late challenges from the record holder in the Millrose Game's signature event to win in 3 minutes, 58.58 seconds.

Sidelined for six months

Last year, when Lagat was surpassing Irish great Eamonn Coghlan's record for victories in the event, Mekonnen was sitting home because of visa issues. But he was at Madison Square Garden, despite having only three months of training after being sidelined for six months with a stomach ailment.

"I didn't expect to run this well. I thought I might make maybe fourth or fifth," Mekonnen said through a translator.

Mekonnen took the lead with four laps to go and Lagat tried to make his first move move with less than two laps to go, but the two-time defending world indoor 1,500-meter champion brushed him off.

"With two laps left, I know in my heart I could win and I went with confidence," Mekonnen said. "I knew that I just had to hang in at that point."

The Keynan-born Lagat had won the event every year he competed since 2003 - he didn't run it in 2004 - and his time of 3:59.01 on Friday was better than his winninng time in 2003.