Olympic silver medallist Sally McLellan had blown away a world-class field, including the Olympic champion, to win the 100m hurdles at the Athletissima meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland overnight.

In other Australian results at the IAAF Super Grand Prix meet, Olympic champion Steve Hooker (5.75m) opened his European campaign with a solid victory in the pole vault defeating in-form Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie (5.70m), World Athletics Final winner Fabrice Lapierre leapt 8.00m to finish third in the long jump, whilst reigning national champion Kim Mickle threw the javelin 60.27m to finish in fifth place.

McLellan is now two wins from as many starts this European season, and last night showed the world that she mean’s business, her performance a strong indicator of what could lie ahead at the world championships in Berlin in six weeks time.

The 22-year-old Queenslander exploded out of the blocks, defying the stormy weather conditions, to clock a flying 12.60 (+0.3) seconds - the third fastest time in the world this year.

Competing against a start list which could resemble the world championships final field next month, McLellan defeated Commonwealth Games champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton (12.64) of Jamaica who placed second in a photo finish ahead of Canadian Olympic bronze medallist Priscilla Lopes Schliep (12.64), who currently holds the world leading time of 12.52.

Olympic champion Dawn Harper, who recently secured her spot in the US team for the world championships with a windy 12.36, finished back in sixth place with 12.75.

The performance was McLellan’s third fastest run of her career behind her 12.53 in Monaco and 12.58 in Luzern just prior to the Olympics last year.

“I felt really good. I said to my coach (Sharon Hannan) before the race, that I think I can win this race. I was firing when I got out of the blocks and I kept running fast. It was a really good run,” McLellan said after the race.

“It’s a big confidence booster going into the Rome Golden League on Friday. Berlin is still a while away and I’ve got a lot more work to do and a lot more training to do, but I think the European season will be a good one."

Olympic pole vault champion Steve Hooker scored a confidence building victory over emerging Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie, in his opening competition of the European season.

Displaying no signs of his recent knee and shoulder injuries, Hooker picked up where he left off in February, recording his eighth consecutive victory this year with a 5.75m clearance on his first attempt.

Lavillenie was knocked out of the competition at 5.70m, placing second on countback from compatriot Damiel Dossévi who also cleared 5.70m.

Lavillenie, who recently dubbed Hooker as the “Usain Bolt of pole vaulting” has been the talk of Europe after he recently joined the exclusive six-metre club with a world leading 6.01m.

Hooker will next take to the runway in Reims, France on Tuesday.

Fresh from his 8.57m monster jump and new personal best of 8.34m in Madrid on Saturday night, Sydney long jumper Fabrice Lapierre had a task on his hands in Lausanne last night.

Olympic silver medallist Godfrey Mokoena (RSA) was just too strong, taking out the competition with a best effort of 8.05m, two centimetres further than world leader Dwight Phillips (USA) who posted a best leap of 8.03m.

Lapierre once again proved he could mix it with the world’s best, placing just behind in third place with 8.00m.

Until last night Kim Mickle had not lost a competition this year, with 11 wins from as many starts. However she faced her biggest test of her career thus far in Lausanne, facing a top field which included world leader Christina Obergfoll (GER) and Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova (CZE).

However it was Germany's Steffi Nerius who caused an upset, defeating Spotakova with a 65.37m throw. Spotakova rescued her competition with a final round throw of 64.38m, followed by Obergfoll with 62.31m.

Mickle, the surprise packet of Australian athletics, who currently sits in seventh place on the 2009 world list, threw a respectable 60.27m to finish in fifth place.

In other results, Usain Bolt ran the fourth-fastest 200m in history, finishing in 19.59 seconds, his time 0.01 seconds slower than what American Tyson Gay ran in May. Asafa Powell won the 100m in 10.07 (-1.8) seconds.

Athletics Australia