Isinbayeva, Richards eye Golden League prize

If the pair win again in Berlin on Sunday they will share the $US1 million ($1.2 million) prize on offer for any athletes who win their event in all six Golden League meetings this season.

It was a night of mixed emotions for Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell, who failed to set a second 100 metres world record in less than a week although he still powered to victory.

Powell, who broke his own world record with a time of 9.74 seconds in Italy last Sunday, finished in 9.84 after the restart following a mistake by Briton Marlon Devonish out of the blocks.

Norway's Jaysuma Saidy Ndure was second in 10.11 seconds with Powell's compatriot Michael Frater third (10.12).

Isinbayeva's victory was also tinged with disappointment after she failed in three world record attempts at 5.02 metres after clearing 4.90 easily to win the event.

Richards, complaining of flu, cruised to a season's best 49.36 seconds to win the 400 metres in style.

The US athlete failed to make the final at the world championships in Osaka last month but outclassed Britain's world silver medallist Nicola Sanders who finished second again.

Asked if winning at least a share of the jackpot on Sunday would help ease the pain of failure in Japan, Richards said: "Just a little. If I can win my share of the jackpot, I can really be proud of how the season turned out.

"I'll take a walk in the morning before the race and then hit it really hard one more time," she added.

The was joy for Ethiopia's Meseret Defar who set a women's two-mile world best of 8:58.58 to beat the world mark of 9:10:47 she ran in May.

Croatia's Blanka Vlasic won the women's high jump by clearing 2.03 metres but failed her three attempts at 2.10 in a bid to break the world record set by Bulgaria's Stefka Kostadinova at 2.09 metres more than 20 years ago.

Women's world 100 metres hurdles champion Michelle Perry had to settle for third as she was outclassed by Sweden's Susanna Kallur who had finished in fifth behind the American in Osaka.

In the women's 100 metres, Veronica Campbell completed a Jamaican sprint double in 11.11 seconds, while Belgium's European champion Kim Gevaert delighted the sell-out home crowd with victory in the women's 200 metres.

Bahrain's world champion Maryam Jamal won the women's mile in a personal best of 4:17:75.

Men's 5,000 metres silver medallist Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya had to settle for second place again as Ethiopia's Sileshi Shine won a slow-run event.The men's 110 hurdles was won by Dayron Robles who squeezed home just ahead of American Anwar Moore. © 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation