HENGELO, the Netherlands, 31 May 2005 — Triple Olympic champion Marion Jones, shunned by Europe’s leading promoters because of her association with the notorious BALCO laboratory, was beaten into second place over 100 meters in the Dutch town of Hengelo on Sunday.

Jones, who failed to win a medal at last year’s Athens Olympics after winning three golds at the 2000 Sydney Games, finished well behind her former training partner Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas.

The 29-year-old American clocked 11.29 seconds, 0.14 of a second behind Sturrup, and clearly has a lot of hard work ahead if she hopes to qualify for the world championships in Helsinki in August.

Promoters of the Euro-Meetings group, who between them organize nearly 50 competitions, have refused to invite Jones to their meetings after a federal investigation into BALCO.

Her partner Tim Montgomery, the world 100 meters record holder, faces a life ban after being charged with serious doping offences by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

USADA has also investigated Jones, although she has not been charged with any offense.

Neither athlete has ever failed a drugs test and both deny ever taking performance-enhancing substances.

Asked about the European ban, Jones told reporters: “It doesn’t have anything to do with me and everything to do with me.

“It’s obvious people want to see me. I can fill up stadiums. I can only control what I can do. I can’t control what other people do. Now my aim is to make the US team.”

Jones is scheduled to run in Milan next Wednesday before flying back to the United States.

Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele’s attempt on his own world 10,000 meters record was thwarted by gusting winds which gathered strength during the evening.

Bekele, who completed his fourth world cross country long and short course double this year just 10 weeks after the sudden death of his fiancee, broke the 5,000 mark at the same meeting last year and looked full of running on Sunday.

But after a spirited start he drifted inexorably off the pace as the wind buffeted the runners with increasing force.

The Olympic champion still managed a startling burst in the final 200 meters and his time of 26 minutes 28.72 seconds was the fourth fastest time ever.

Two other runners posted world leading times in the first significant meeting of the European season.

Kenyan Brimin Kipruto clocked 8:09.53 in the men’s 3,000 meters steeplechase and his compatriot Isabella Ochichi recorded 14:50.96 in the women’s 5,000.

In the absence of double Olympic gold medalist Hicham El Guerrouj, who pulled out of the meeting because of illness, Kenyan Isaac Songok upset his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge in the men’s 3,000.