Gunnell getting better all the time

Britain's former Olympic champion Sally Gunnell, now back in action after her injury at the Atlanta Olympic Games, clocked 55.30sec to finish second in the women's 400 metres hurdles at the International Amateur Athletic Federation's Znasmesky Grand Prix in Moscow yesterday.

The race was won by Tatyana Tereshchuk of Ukraine with a time of 54.96, but for Gunnell it was an improvement on her performance in Rome last week where she was fifth in 55.52.

At the same meeting Donovan Bailey lost a soggy 100 metres to Nigeria's Davidson Ezinwa. The Canadian world record-holder finished in 10.28sec to Ezinwa's 10.20. The race began moments after a torrential thunderstorm had abated.

Igor Kovac of Slovakia took the 110m hurdles in a photo-finish with Britain's Tony Jarrett. Both were clocked at 13:45. In another tight finish, Kenya's David Kiptoo won the men's 800m in 1min 44.57sec, just 0.05sec ahead of Hendrik Moganyetsi of South Africa. Vincent Malakwen of Kenya was third in 1:44.75.

The world champion, Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic, won the javelin with one of the season's best throws of 86.92m; the double Olympic champion Svetlana Masterkova of Russia won the women's 800m in 1:59.29; and Russia's Irina Biryukova took the women's 1500m in 4:05.70 on the flooded track.

The women's 400m was a competition between two Nigerians and six Russians - who finished in that order. Bisa Afoladi of Nigeria won in 50.55sec, followed by her compatriot Falilat Ogunkoya in 50.79. The fastest Russian was Olga Kotlyarova at 51.40.