Rare setback for Jones

Olympic sprint champion Marion Jones suffered only her third defeat in almost seven years at the Norwich Union Grand Prix at Birmingham’s NIA tonight.

The American, making her comeback after the birth of her first child, was beaten into second place in the 60 metres by Belgium’s Kim Gevaert.

Jones, who narrowly won on her return in New York earlier this month, clocked a season’s best 7.16 seconds but never looked like catching Gevaert who won in a Belgian record of 7.13secs.

Fellow American Angela Daigle was third in 7.27secs with Ukraine’s Zhanna Block, who inflicted the last track defeat on Jones in the 100m at the 2001 World Championships, fourth in 7.31secs.

Britain’s Abi Oyepitan was seventh in 7.45secs, beating AAA champion Joice Maduaka into eighth place in 7.47secs.