Third no consolation for Coghlan
The 29-year-old was chasing the Olympic qualifying standard, but despite a season’s best of 13.63 seconds, he missed the target by 0.08sec.
The six-time Irish champion was the quickest out of the blocks but was overhauled by Jamaica’s Chris Pinnock and German Falk Balzer.
Pinnock won in a time of 13.57sec from Balzer, the former world bronze medallist whose 13.61sec time was his fastest of the season.
Former world 5,000m champion Olga Yegorova showed devastating sprinting speed to win the 1,500m.
She extended her unbeaten run to five races, although she had to hold off the challenge of fellow Russian Yelena Zadorozhnaya.
Repeating her victory ahead of her compatriot in Rome four days ago, Yegorova posted a winning time of 4 minutes 01.41secs, with Zadorozhnaya second in 4min 01.72sec.
Asafa Powell ran the fastest 100m on European soil this year when scorching to an “evens” 10 seconds victory.
Powell, who last week broke the 13-year-old Jamaican record of Ray Stewart at his National Championships, accelerated brilliantly in the final 20m of the race.
World champion Allen Johnson ran the fastest 110m hurdles time of the year with a runaway victory.
Johnson, who will compete in the US Olympic trials in Sacramento from Friday, raced to victory on the new Olympic Stadium track in 13.05 seconds. That bettered by 1/100sec the previous world lead achieved by China’s Liu Xiang when he beat Johnson in Osaka in May.
Olympic 400m hurdles favourite Felix Sanchez set the fastest time in the world this year.
Sanchez flew to victory in 47.86 seconds to shoot to the top of the ranking lists to better the 48.02secs set by South African Ockert Cilliers at altitude in Pretoria in February.
Meanwhile, Moroccan distance runner Hicham El Guerrouj has revealed for the first time how a debilitating problem with his breathing is threatening to rule him out of next month’s Athens Olympics.
Breaking his silence on the mystery sickness before last night’s IAAF meeting in Lausanne, the 29-year-old Moroccan 1,500m champion revealed he had struggled all year with the problem.
“I’m very worried about whether I can make the Olympics or not,” said El Guerrouj.
“I will make my final decision on August 6 in Zurich.
“I have dominated the sport for nine years but if my world ranking is not high enough at the time I may not go to Athens.”
El Guerrouj saw a specialist in Toulouse shortly after first complaining of the problem.
“He found I had about 10 allergies so he put me on a course of medication for three months,” he said.
“The problem isn’t solved yet. I have to take medicine every day which makes me feel tired.
“I am still training but I have difficulties in breathing after training.”
The four-time world 1,500m champion and double Olympic silver medallist is struggling to maintain his full training programme.
El Guerrouj suffered his first defeat since coming second in the 2000 Sydney Olympics when Bahrain’s Rashid Ramzi beat him in Rome last Friday.
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