Roundup: Felix shines in Doha, two-time Olympic champ Farah settles for silver

American sprinter Allyson Felix caught the spotlight at the 2015 Diamond League opener in Doha here on Friday as the 29-year-old dashed to a meet record of 21.98 seconds to win the women's 200 meters race, equaling the Diamond League record set by Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown in 2010.

It was the 12th time for Felix to set her foot on the Qatar Sport Club track and 11th title claimed by her.

Felix's winning time also shattered the relatively modest meet record of 22.35 set by Ionela Tirlea-Manolache of Romania back in 1999.

"I am really happy today, a world lead, a meeting record and equaled the Diamond League record. It is a good start," said Felix who never hid her excitement to start the season in Doha before the race.

"I feel strong and the speed is good. It is so good to be healthy. I am now looking forward to the next competition, the World Championships in August. Doha is always a special place for me," she added.

Murielle Ahoure of Cote D'Ivoire, who grabbed two silver medals in the 100m and 200m at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow, finished second in 22.29, a mark which is 0.05 seconds slower than her career best. Bahamas' Anthonique Strachan finished third in 22.69.

Hot favorite in men's 3,000m race, two-time Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah of Britain, lost to Hagos Gebrhiwet, the 2013 World Championships silver medallist at 5000m and winner of the 3,000m in Doha that year.

The Ethiopian held off a late surge to win in 7:38.08. Farah failed to cover his rival's move just before the bell and he had to come from a long way back but just came up short when finishing second in 7:38.22.

There were no fewer than 11 world leading marks in Doha on Friday and five meeting records, in addition to the three IAAF Diamond League standards.

Among the other highlights was Tero Pitkamaki's last-round throw of 88.62m to win the javelin.

The Finland's 2007 world champion was languishing down in fifth place prior to the last round but then dramatically defeat a field that included Olympic champion Kershorn Walcott and world champion Vitezslav Vesely, who finished eighth and third respectively.

Croatia's reigning world and Olympic champion Sandra Perkovic snatched another overwhelming victory to win the discus.

The 24-year-old Perkovic, a three-time European champion and winner of Diamond Race in each of the past three years, hurled 68. 10 meters in the fourth round to clinch the win. In fact, each of her four valid marks was good enough for the Croat to grab the gold. Her poorest mark of the night was 65.45m, 0.32 meters better than Nadine Muller's best result of 65.13m, which gifted the 29-year-old German the silver medal.

Australia's Dani Samuels, the gold medalist at 2009 IAAF World Championships who improved her personal best to 67.99m last year, finished third thanks to her second round attempt at 64.45m.

In the men's 400m hurdle, the 32-year-old Bershawn Jackson of the United States clocked a world leading 48.09 seconds to win the event with a new meet record.

The 2005 world champion and 2010 Doha winner has been experiencing a fly start so far this season, remaining unbeaten in each of his five outings, most recently with a 48.47s run in Kingston last weekend.

Javier Culson of Pueto Rico, the Diamond League Race winner in 2012 and 2013, finished a distant second in 48.96s while Irishman Thomas Barr finished third in 48.99s.

Jackson's winning mark beat the 48.11s meet record set by Lj Van Zyl of South Africa in 2011. And Zyl only managed a lackluster 49.52s to finish sixth.

American veteran Justin Gatlin renewed his personal best in the men's 100m with a meeting record of 9.74 seconds.

Starting from the third lane, Gatlin's reaction time of 0.161s was the second slowest among the eight sprinters but he managed to build a formidable midway lead before dashing home in style to ignite the packed stands in the Qatar Sports Club.

Gatlin's countryman Michael Rodgers finished second in 9.96s while Keston Bledman of Trinidad and Tobago took the third place in 10.01s.

American Jasmin Stowers could be a favorite in Beijing Worlds, though she was very much an unknown quantity internationally before she arrived in Qatar, despite her world-leading times of 12.40 and 12.39 in Des Moines and Kingston in the past three weeks. She showed her poise and class to power to a personal best and IAAF Diamond League record of 12.35 to win the women's 100m hurdle.

Djibouti's Ayanleh Souleiman was a delighted winner of the men's 800m in 1:43.78, confounding most pundits who had generally been predicting the race was going to be decided between Ethiopia's world indoor and outdoor champion Mohammed Aman and Kenya's world 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop.

Also on Friday, Cuba's Pedro Pablo Pichardo won the men's triple jump in a world leading 18.06 meters, while another hot favorite, American Christian Taylor, trailed in 18.04. Ethiopia's Dawit Seyaum won the women's 1500m in a world leading 4:00.96. Endi