Russian Yelena Isinbayeva set another world record in the pole vault, Jeremy Wariner turned the tables on rival LaShawn Merritt in the 400 meters and Asafa Powell injured his groin at the star-studded Golden Gala meet yesterday at Rome's Olympic Stadium.

Isinbayeva cleared 16 feet, 6 inches (5.03 meters) yesterday, improving on her previous mark of 16-5 1/4 (5.01) set at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki, Finland.

"I was ready for a world record," Isinbayeva said. "My goal today was to beat the world record."

In the 400, Wariner beat Merritt in a photo finish a week after Merritt stunned the Olympic and two-time world champion at the U.S. Olympic trials.

This time, Wariner won in 44.36 seconds — one-hundredth ahead of Merritt.

"I got out strong. I worked my tires. I finally executed like I should have at trials," Wariner said.

He held a slight lead rounding the last turn and went ahead by a stride midway down the final straight, but Merritt made a late charge to force the photo finish. Chris Brown of the Bahamas took third in 44.73.

In one of the last major meets before the Beijing Games, defending Olympic silver medalist Francis Obikwelu won the 100 meters after former world record holder Powell pulled out of the final with a groin cramp.

Obikwelu, a Portuguese sprinter who finished second to Justin Gatlin at the 2004 Athens Games, finished in 10.04 seconds, while Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas was second in the same time.

In a preliminary heat, Powell burst out of the blocks to take the midway lead, then pulled up and crossed fifth in 10.19 seconds. He took the final qualifying spot for the nine-man final, but decided against running again.

"He's OK, but he felt his groin cramp up and stopped running as a precaution," said Powell's manager, Paul Doyle. "He's not going to take any chances. It's an Olympic year."

Doyle said this was a new injury, though Powell "has had problems with his groin in the past."

Obikwelu was also hurting, due to a left Achilles tendon problem.

Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius also missed out in another attempt to qualify for the Olympics, finishing seventh in the 400 B race. The South African crossed in 46.62 seconds. He needs to run a 45.55 to qualify for the Olympics.

Only two athletes kept alive a chance at the Golden League's $1 million jackpot — Blanka Vlasic in the high jump and Pamela Jelimo in the 800 meters.

Competitors who win their event in all six Golden League meets will share the jackpot. Rome is the third meet in the series.

BRITISH SPRINTER RUNNING TO BEAT HIS DOPING BAN

Dwain Chambers blocked out his legal challenge against a lifetime Olympic doping ban to advance to the semifinals of the 100 meters at Britain's Beijing trials with the fastest time in yesterday's heats at Birmingham, England.

Chambers won the first heat in 10.14 seconds at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium.

Even if he secures one of the top two places in today's final, his Beijing berth depends on a judge granting an injunction next week against the British Olympic Association bylaw that hands drugs cheats a lifetime ban.

"I try not to think about it — I've just got to let my legs do the talking," Chambers said. "I can't worry about finishing first or second, what's going to be will be."

The 30-year-old Chambers returned to the track this year after serving a two-year doping ban from 2003-05. He tested positive for the steroid THG, the drug at the center of the BALCO scandal, in August 2003.

SWIMMING

U.S. QUALIFIER SHANTEAU REVEALS HE HAS CANCER

Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau is heading to Beijing with a devastating diagnosis: He has cancer.

In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Shanteau said he learned just a week before the Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb., that he has testicular cancer. His doctors cleared him to compete in that meet and he surprisingly made the team in the 200-meter breaststroke, finishing second ahead of former world-record holder and heavy favorite Brendan Hansen.

"If I didn't make the team, the decision would have been easy: Go home and have the surgery," Shanteau said. "I made the team, so I had a hard decision. But, by no means am I being stupid about this."

Although Shanteau's doctors have advised him to have surgery now, he's planning to put it off until after Beijing because he doesn't want to disrupt his lifelong goal. The 24-year-old Georgia native will be monitored closely over the next month and vows to drop out of the Olympics if there's any sign is cancer is spreading.

"I was sort of like, 'This isn't real. There's no way this is happening to me right now,' " Shanteau said. "You're trying to get ready for the Olympics and you just get this huge bomb dropped on you."

He will have his blood tested once a week and a CT scan done every two weeks through the Olympics, hoping that will be enough to keep a handle on the disease.