BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Blessing Okagbare of Nigeria upstaged illustrious rivals Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Carmelita Jeter to win the 200 meters in 22.55 seconds at the Birmingham GP on Sunday.
The standout race of the Diamond League meet was billed as a head to head between Fraser-Pryce and Jeter but triple African champion Okagbare made an unusually strong start and held off Fraser-Pryce, the two-time Olympic champion in the 100.
Jeter, the world 200 champion, trailed in a disappointing seventh in 23.36.
Nesta Carter of Jamaica capitalized on the absence of the leading men’s sprinters by winning the 100 in 9.99 and Dawn Harper-Nelson led an American 1-2 in the women’s 100 hurdles, edging Kellie Wells to victory in 12.64. World and Olympic champion Sally Pearson was fourth.
