Defar completes indoor 3,000 metres hat-trick

By Simon Baskett

VALENCIA, Spain (Reuters) - Ethiopia's Meseret Defar produced a devastating last-lap burst to see off compatriot Meselech Melkamu and complete a hat-trick of women's world 3,000 metres indoor titles on Saturday.

The Olympic and world 5,000 metres champion ran a near perfect race, biding her time as she tucked in behind the leaders during the early stages and then stepping up a gear just before the last lap.

The 24-year-old, who set a world best time for two miles earlier this season, clocked a time of eight minutes 38.79 seconds, nearly two seconds ahead of Melkamu. Morocco's Mariem Alaoui Selsouli crossed the line in third and Kenya's Sylvia Kibet was fourth.

"Today it was an easy race for me, because of that I didn't have to run too fast," said Defar. "It's excellent preparation for Beijing."

World outdoor champion Yargelis Savigne added the indoor crown to her collection when she took gold in the women's triple jump.

The Cuban snatched victory from Olympic silver medallist Hrysopiyi Devetzi of Greece with her final leap of 15.05 metres, while Slovenia's Marija Sestak, finished in third place.

There was disappointment in both the men's and women's 60 metres hurdles with hot favourites Dayron Robles and Susanna Kallur both making early exits from their events.

Robles went out in the first round after being left on his blocks during his heat when the 21-year-old Cuban thought rival Liu Xiang had made a false start.

Swedish world record holder Kallur withdrew from the semi-finals of the women's event after suffering a hamstring injury in the warm-up.