Kenyan teenager Pamela Jelimo remained in the hunt for a one-million dollar jackpot with an 800 metres junior world record and Jeremy Wariner dominated the 400m at the Golden League stop in Paris on Friday night, dpa reported.
Jelimo, 18, shaved two hundredth of her previous junior record best when she posted an African record 1 minute 54.97 seconds in the Stade de France.
She won ahead of Slovak Lucia Kocova (1:58.51) and world champion Janeth Jepkosgei of Kenya (1:58.52). But the time was no 2008 world best as Yelena Soboleva had run 1:54.85 just a few hours earlier at the Russian championships in Kazan.
Jelimo remained in the race for the big jackpot with her fourth win in as many 2008 Golden League meets ( Berlin, Oslo, Rome, Paris) and requires only two more top spots in Zurich and Brussels to be eligible for the million dollars.
Her only remaining jackpot rival in the 10 Golden League disciplines is Croatian high jump ace Blanka Vlasic.
Wariner had also eyed the jackpot but a defeat in Berlin against fellow-American LaShawn Merritt cost him all chances early.
On Friday, however, the world and Olympic champion Wariner ran away from Merritt (who also beat him at the US Olympic trials) to clock a 2008 world leading 43.87, with merritt far behind on 44.35 seconds.
"That's great. I am exactly where I want to be. My finish was excellent and the time is very good," said Wariner.
He added that he won't compete in the upcoming Stockholm meet this year (he ran a personal best 43.35 there in 2007) because he would go home for final training ahead of the August 8-24 Beijing Olympics.