Advertising sublime form ahead of his eagerly anticipated IAAF World Championship clash with super Jamaican Usain Bolt, American Tyson Gay sped to a fine wind-assisted 100-metre victory in 9.79 seconds at the DN Galan IAAF World Athletics Tour meet yesterday.

Gay, with a following wind of 2.6 metres per second, won with authority over fellow American Darvis Patton (9.95).

Former world record holder Asafa Powell was third in 9.98 seconds and his colleague, Shericka Williams, delivered the only triumph for the English-speaking Caribbean in a main event, landing the 400 metres in 50.63 seconds.

another strong message

Tested over the first 50 metres by Powell and Patton, Gay, the reigning world sprint double champion, accelerated over the second half of the race to take full control and sent another strong message to Bolt, the Olympic champion, who will be trying to unseat him at the Berlin World Championship from August 15-23.

Gay is the fastest man in the world so far this year in both sprints - 9.77 seconds over 100 metres and 19.58 in the 200 metres.

Powell faded in the closing stages to lose second spot to Patton, with Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles fourth in 10.01 seconds.

St Kitts and Nevis veteran Kim Collins (10.10), the 2003 World Champion, and Jamaican Michael Frater (10.17) placed seventh and eighth, respectively.

In the women's 400 metres, Williams produced a repeat of the fast finish that brought her silver at the Beijing Olympics, to snatch a victory in the one-lap event.

Coming from behind in lane three, Williams came off the final bend in fifth position and quickened down the homestretch to collar the front-runners inside the last 20 metres.

She won ahead of the Russian Antonina Krivoshapka (50.80) and

American Monica Hargrove (51.01).

Jamaican Novlene Williams-Mills, the Osaka World Championship bronze medallist two years ago, was fourth in 51.15 and Guyana's Aliann Pompey (51.49) was sixth.

American Allyson Felix delivered probably the most outstanding performance of the meet, running the fastest 200 metres of the season.

new world leader

She clocked a world-leading 21.88 seconds to beat Bahamian Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, the previous world leader, who clocked a season's best 22.23 seconds.

Jamaican Kerron Stewart was third in 22.72.

Cuban Olympic champion Dayron Robles and Canadian Priscilla Lopes-Schliep scored good sprint hurdles wins.

Robles won the 110-metre hurdles in 13.11 and Lopes-Schliep clocked a personal season's 12.51 seconds to win the 100-metre hurdles over American LoLo Jones (12.52) while Jamaican Brigitte Foster-Hylton clocked her quickest time this year, 12.57 seconds, for third.

Jamaican Chambers (45.54) won the men's 400 'B' race and Bahamian Sands (13.55) took the 110-metre hurdles 'B' race.

Shermaine Williams