Athletics-World record for Liu, Jones on form again

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, July 12 (Reuters) China's Olympic champion Liu Xiang powered down the track to set a world record of 12.88 seconds in the men's 110 metres hurdles.

On a night for speed, former double Olympic sprint champion Marion Jones produced her second sub-11 seconds 100 metres in three days with a comfortable victory in 10.94.

Jones, who came under scrutiny in connection with the BALCO doping scandal even though she has never failed a drugs test, ran 10.92 for victory in Saturday's Paris Golden League meeting.

With the season's fastest woman, Jamaican Sherone Simpson, not competing in Lausanne due to a hamstring injury, Jones finished 0.09 seconds clear of fellow American Me'Lisa Barber.

Torri Edwards and world champion Lauryn Williams completed a top four finish for the US.

An exuberant Liu completed a lap of honour in just his running shorts as his world record time was officially confirmed.

China's first male Olympic track gold medallist ran a phenomenal race and knocked 0.03 seconds off the previous record he shared with Britain's Colin Jackson.

''I'm feeling very tired, very happy and very excited.,'' a beaming Liu told reporters yesterday.

''Switzerland is my lucky place and I love the fans here,'' he said in reference to his first win at a grand prix meeting in 2002.

SEASONAL BESTS There were several other high-tempo performances, including three further seasonal bests on the track in the men's 200 metres and the women's 100-metre hurdles and 800 metres.

Out in the field, there was a year's best performance by pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva who improved on her 4.76-metre jump in Paris three days earlier with a jump of 4.90 metres.

She failed to grab the 20th world record of her career, however, after missing her three attempts at 5.02 metres.

America's highly-promising Xavier Carter set the new benchmark in the 200 metres, finishing in 19.63 seconds -- knocking 0.27 seconds off the time set by Asafa Powell in his native Jamaica last month.

Carter, 20, edged out America's Tyson Gay by 0.07 seconds, and also set a meeting record in the process.

American world champion Michelle Perry set the leading time in the world this year for the 100 metres hurdles, despite knocking down the final barrier.

Perry stayed on her feet to finish in 12.43.

''I felt really good,'' Perry told Reuters, ''I was starting to run up on the hurdles a lot near the end and it all got a bit out of control.

''I've been working on my technique a lot though and my main focus is already on the world championships and Olympics in the next two years.'' Kenya's Janeth Jepkosgei held off a spirited challenge from three-times world champion Maria Mutola to win the 800 in one minute 56.66 seconds -- the leading time in the world this year.

Mozambique's Mutola, 33, was second in 1:56.77.

Leonard Scott led from the front to win a men's 100, missing world and Olympic champion Justin Gatlin, in 10.05.

Gatlin, who shares the world record with Jamaica's Asafa Powell, pulled out of the race earlier in the week because of a knee injury.

REUTERS SRS RAI0531