Gay shades Powell at Gateshead

Tyson Gay, the 2007 double world champion, won his sprint showdown with Asafa Powell at the British Grand Prix athletics meet here on Saturday.

The American, who has been struggling with a hamstring problem, twice dipped below 10 seconds, clocking 9.96 seconds in the opening heat and 9.94s in the final when he overhauled Powell's early lead to snatch victory on the line.

Jamaica's Powell, who clocked 9.96s, got off to a superb start in the final but admitted: "I got out very well but then I started to ease up a bit too much.

"Then I saw Tyson coming and I could not pick it up. But we are in good shape and this is how it's going to be all season, he'll win some and I'll win some.

"It's no setback though because I know what shape I'm in. I know I'll be ready for (Usain) Bolt next week (in Paris). I ran 9.96 in a headwind so that's pretty good."

Gay, the second fastest man in history behind Bolt, said: "I knew it was going to be a tough race and I'm happy to come away with the win. I'm still rusty.

"I really had to stretch to the finish line and he didn't see me coming so I got the victory. The hamstring is still tight and that is something I am going to have to work on. But I can race this way all the time. I'm determined."

Elsewhere, double world champion Jessica Ennis could only finish eighth in the 200m in 23.55 seconds on her return to competition after two weeks out with a virus.

"I'm a little bit disappointed if I'm honest," said the 24-year-old. "I would have liked to have run quicker.

"I just spent two weeks in bed but you do pick up a virus now and then and it's so much better than having an injury. I think it's going to take a little bit just to get some shape back but by the time I get to Barcelona I should be ready to go."

There was better news for Ennis in the javelin as she threw a season's best of 46.15m in the second round, just 0.32m below her personal best.

Commonwealth champion Lisa Dobriskey confirmed her return to form following injury with victory in the 1,500m, the 26-year-old winning in 4:03.69 ahead of American Morgan Urceny and fellow Briton Hannah England.

England won the European trials with Dobriskey back in third, but world silver medallist Dobriskey ran a quick time in Lausanne on Thursday to move top of the British rankings.

"I was really pleased with my performance in Lausanne, it was a lot more than I expected, and today was fantastic," she said. "There are a couple of areas I still need to work on but I have the time to do it."

In the men's 110m hurdles, Jamaica's Dwight Thomas won in 13.38s with Britain's Andy Turner second in 13.41 and William Sharman, who beat Turner in the recent European Trials, third in a season's best of 13.43s.

British champion Martyn Rooney, who has broken the 45-second barrier twice this season, finished only third in the 400m, the 23-year-old clocking 45.44s in a race won by Jamaica's Ricardo Chambers. Compatriot Michael Bingham was second in a season's best of 45.08.

World bronze medallist Jenny Meadows could only finish eighth in the 800m, but was pleased to clock 2:01.07 after being out of action with calf and Achilles injuries which forced her to miss the final of the recent trials.

World champion Phillips Idowu won the triple jump with a best of 17.38m and said: "It's all coming together at the right time a couple of weeks before the Europeans."

And Mo Farah rounded off the action with a personal best of 13:05.66 in the 5,000m, although that was only good enough for seventh place in a race won by Kenya's Vincent Chepkok in a meeting record of 13:00.20.