James' stunning pro debut

LONDON, England (CMC):

Grenadian teenager Kirani James completed a memorable Diamond League debut on Friday, streaking to a world-leading time to win the 400 metres but importantly, making a bold statement ahead of the World Championships later this month.

The prodigiously talented James, who only turns 19 next month, clocked 44.61 seconds to beat the experienced Jamaican Jermaine Gonzales into second in a time of 44.85 seconds.

World indoor champion, Bahamian Chris Brown, finished third in 45.04 seconds.

"I'm feeling really good and this shows that I'm on course for Daegu. I need to go out there and run 400-metre races but there are a lot of great guys out there," said James, a sophomore at the University of Alabama.

"I competed against them today and you can't take anyone for granted. I just went out there and tried to improve on my time and that's what I did."

Despite his relative inexperience, James entered his first race as a pro athlete with stunning credentials. He is the reigning World Junior champion and is third on the all-time indoor list behind Americans Michael Johnson and Kerron Clement after cruising to 44.80 in February.

Running out of lane six at Crystal Palace, James moved easily down the backstretch but it was Gonzales who was the sharpest, covering ground to lead after 200 metres.

With 80 metres to run, James brushed side Gonzales with effortless strides to cruise to the line unchallenged for an impressive victory.