Minimalist Isinbayeva leads jackpot quartet (1st Lead)

Jul 17, 2009, 19:41 GMT

   Paris - Yelena Isinbayeva required just one jump on Friday to move within two victories of a 1-million dollar Golden League jackpot along with three other contenders.

The Russian world and Olympic champion decided to call at a day after one pole vault of 4.65 metres gave her victory on a cool and

rainy evening.

Jamaican sprinter Kerron Stewart, American 400m runner Sanya Richards and Ethiopian distance runner Kenenisa Bekele also made no mistakes in their bid for the jackpot.

   The four athletes have won their event at the first four Golden League stops (Berlin, Oslo, Rome, Paris), with the meets in Zurich and Brussels to follow after the August 15-23 world championships in Berlin.

   Six-time winners win or share the full jackpot. If no athlete manages six victories, 500,000 dollars are won or shared by five-time winners.

The Paris top attraction was set for later in the evening, with triple Olympic champion and world record holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica to contest the 100m.

Isinbayeva was 40cm below her world record of 5.05m, but decided in deteriorating conditions that it was not worth to continue and risk an injury four weeks before the worlds.

Compatriot Svetlana Feofanova, the 2003 world champion in the Stade de France, was second with 4.55m and third-placed Anna Rogowska of Poland had the same height.

Stewart just dipped below 11 seconds in the 100m with 10.99 seconds as rain set in. Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas had 11.15 and Jamaican Aleen Bailey 11.26 for third place.

Inn the rarely contested 3,000m, the 5,000m and 10,000m Olympic champ Bekele quickly ran away from Kenya-born American 1,500m and 5,000m world champion Bernhard Lagat to win in 7:28.64 minutes. Lagat had a personal best 7:33.15.

Richards surged on the home to win the 400m in 49.34 seconds from Jamaican Noviene Williams Mills (50.39) and Amantle Montsho of Botswana (50.61).

'Honestly, I am very satisfied by my victory. It was cold tonight and I am proud I ran under 50,' said Richards, who fell just short of her 2009 world leading 49.23 seconds.       In other action, three-time defending world champion Jeremy Wariner won the 400m in a modest 45.28 seconds with a surge on the last 50m. The time was far away from the 2009 world lead 44.50 from fellow-American Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt.

Croatian world champion Blanka Vlasic won the high jump with 1.99m and new French star Renaud Lavillenie took first place in the men's pole vault with a modest 5.70m in difficult conditions.