BERLIN (AFP) - LaShawn Merritt has vowed to repeat Sunday's Golden League win here over reigning Olympic and World 400 metres champion Jeremy Wariner at Beijing's Olympic Games in August.
Wariner, who won 400 metres gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2007 world championships in Osaka, ran a season's best 44.07 seconds, but it was not enough as Merritt powered home in 44.03 to beat his United States compatriot.
And world silver medalist Merritt has vowed to do it again at August's Beijing Olympics.
"Beating Jeremy is a good feeling, but the season is still early, so the time means nothing, I know I can go much faster, but the plan is to beat Jeremy again - at the Olympics," said Merritt at Berlin's Olympic Stadium.
After Jamaica's Usain Bolt broke the world 100 metres record earlier in the day, Nesta Carter added a second Jamaican win of the day with a season's best 10.08 seconds and vowed to join compatriot's Bolt and Asafa Powell in Beijing.
"With Usain Bolt getting the world record it was a big day for Jamaica and I have contributed to that with a win here," said Carter.
"I think third spot after Asafa and Usain is open for the Olympic Games in our 100 metres team is open and I want to fight for that spot."
In the shock of the day, world champion Irving Saladino was beaten for the first time in nearly two years when he slumped to seventh in the long jump.
Earlier, Kenya's Augustine Choge ran the fastest 1500 metres in the world this year to claim victory here.
"I ran a personel best today, but I really expected to run sub 3:30 minutes here," said Choge.
"I still haven't decided whether to run the 1500 or 5000 metres in Beijing."
In the men's 110 metres hurdles, United States sprinter David Oliver won in a time of 13.19 seconds from Cuba's world indoor silver medalist Dayron Robles.
"I was a lucky winner and I wasn't thinking I could win, but it bodes well for the season," said Oliver.
Former world champion Bershawn Jackson of the United States won the men's 400 metres hurdles in a time of 48.73 seconds, while 2000 Olympic champion Angelo Taylor finished back in sixth place with a season's best 50.06.
"After the long flight I did not begin too hard, I controlled the race and the main goal was to win," said Jackson.
"I had a bad year in 2007 and didn't make the world champs finals, I am hoping this year will be better."
Former 800 metres Olympic champion Nils Schumann has virtually given up hope of competing in Beijing after failing to make the qualifying standard here.
The Sydney 2000 champion ran 1 minute 47.78 seconds to finish ninth in his 800 metres heat - two seconds short of the 800 metres qualifying mark for Beijing - after battling back to fitness from three achilles tendon operations.
And Kenya's middle distance domination continued with Moses Masai running the fastest time in the world so far this season to win the 5000 metres in 12:50.55 minutes.
Croatia's high jump queen Blanka Vlasic won her 25th consecutive meeting with a world leading leap of 2.03 metres to claim victory.
"It was not that easy, but I had it under control," said the 24-year-old world champion as she held off local heroine Ariane Friedrich.
"I have to be happy as I just missed out on 2.06, which shows me things are building well."
In the women's 200 metres Jamaica's Sherone Simpson ran her season's best of 22.43 seconds with the crowd's help to hold off Russia's Yuliya Gushchina and compatriot Kerron Stewart.
Spain's Josephine Onyia ran a new national record of 12.50 seconds in the women's 100 metres hurdles to hold off Sweden's Susanna Kallur and Lolo Jones from the United States.
In the women's 800 metres, 19-year-old Kenyan Pamela Jelimo showed she is a star of the future as she ran a meeting record time of 1:54.99 minutes, the fastest time by a junior in the world this year.
