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Commonwealth champion and former world record holder Asafa Powell won the 100 metres final at the London Grand Prix in 9.94 seconds running into a slight headwind.

Powell lost his world mark this year to compatriot Usain Bolt, who runs in the 200 on the second day of the meeting at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

American world champion Tyson Gay had been scheduled to run the 100 on Friday but withdrew after aggravating a hamstring strain.

"I felt very confident, very relaxed," Commonwealth champion Powell said. "I could definitely have gone a bit quicker.

"With or without Usain I'm going for the gold medal."

Russian Olympic and world pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva came desperately close to setting her 13th outdoor world record and 23rd overall when she failed three times at 5.04 metres.

Isinbayeva cleared the bar with her third attempt but brought it down during her descent.

She set her last world record of 5.03 two weeks ago at the Rome Golden League meeting.

Isinbayeva failed with her first two attempts after entering the competition with the bar at 4.74. She cleared the third attempt easily and was equally untroubled with her next two efforts at 4.87 and 4.93.

American champion and record holder Jenny Stuczynski passed at 4.93 and made two unsuccessful attempts at a world record in tandem with Isinbayeva.

"I am very disappointed because I really felt I could jump a world record today," Isinbayeva said.

"It's my third competition in a row and I'm a little bit tired. [The Olympics next month in] Beijing is going to be a hard competition and it might be necessary to break a world record to win."

American champion David Oliver won the 110 metres hurdles in the absence of Cuba's world record holder Dayron Robles who could not get a visa to enter Britain.

"I've got to go away and work on some stuff," Oliver said. "I am feeling very confident, my chances [in Beijing] are as good as anyone else."

World champion Reese Hoffa relegated fellow American and this year's world leader Adam Nelson to second place in the men's shot put. Hoffa's winning put of 21.13 was 0.06 of a metre ahead of Nelson.

"It was pretty tough out there," Hoffa said. "I kept slipping in the ring and couldn't get going in the first few rounds. The distances weren't there tonight but the win will give me a lot of confidence for Beijing."

Jamaica's Commonwealth champion Sherone Simpson won the women's 200 metres in 22.70 seconds. Twice world gold medallist and American champion Allyson Felix faded to fourth place after a good start.

"To get a win so close to the Olympics is very good psychologically," Simpson said. "My past two races weren't that good at all."

Britain's Olympic heptathlon bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton set a personal best of 6.79 for the long jump assisted by the maximum possible following wind of two metres a second.

"I have had so many issues this year with injury and illness so I am delighted to jump a PB like that," she said. "It is exactly where I need to be for the Olympics."

The 100 metres hurdles was rerun at the end of the original programme because the third flight had been placed in the wrong position. Sotherton was one of three women who completely lost their rhythm and jogged the remainder of the race.

Reuters