SHEFFIELD, England, 23 August 2005 — Britain’s double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes limped to an eighth-placed finish in her final track outing on British soil at the British Grand Prix in Sheffield.

Holmes, who had made a dramatic helicopter entrance at the Don Valley Stadium, struggled throughout her 800m race after failing to shake off a recurring Achilles tendon injury which she picked up in June.

“It’s been a complete struggle, to be honest. I’ve been through a lot of pain,” she said of the injury that ruled her out of the world championships in Helsinki.

“The hardest thing is knowing I’m not in good shape and I haven’t been on the track for four weeks or put on my spikes,” said the 35-year-old who won the 800m-1500m double in Athens last year.

“To be racing on that track has been my only major goal for the season, for my last home run.

“It has been quite emotional, and that hasn’t really helped my preparation.” Holmes refused to rule out defending her Commonwealth 1500m title next year. “I need to get my leg sorted out and decide with a fresh mind.”

Away from the razzmatazz surronding Holmes, world bronze medallist Kim Collins won the men’s 100m in 10.01sec from American Leonard Scott and Jamaica’s Micahel Frater.

“You want to win when it counts, and I always love to win in England,” said the diminutive St Kitts and St Nevis islander.

Former Olympic champion Maurice Greene, who finished last in the blue riband event at Friday’s Golden League meet in Zurich after a calamitous start, was disqualified for a false start.

World sprint double champion Justin Gatlin opted to run the 200m, and needed a final spurt to overhaul fellow American Tyson Gay to win in an impressive 20.04sec.

“I am very tired after all the travelling in Europe. I wanted to put on a good last 200m to show people it was not a one-off,” said the 23-year-old Gatlin who is also 100m Olympic champion.

“I’ve come back this year even better than last and I just wanted to go out there and be dominant so the time didn’t matter as much to me today as winning was the key as I just want to stay dominant.” Commonwealth champion Michael Blackwood won the 400m in 45.29sec from Welshman Tim Benjamin.

The big shock of the night came in the men’s long jump, where American Miguel Pate beat world and Olympic champion Dwight Phillips.

Pate’s best of 8.45m was seven centimeters better than that of Phillips.

In the two miles, Australia’s Craig Mottram set a national record in dominating a field bereft of many of the top middle-distance stars.

Mottram came home in 8mins 11.28secs ahead of Kenyan duo Boniface Songok and Shadrack Korir.

In the 110m hurdles, American veteran Dominique Arnold continued his good form from Zurich, winning in 13.26sec ahead of Jamaica’s Maurice Wignall and compatriot Ron Bramlett.

France’s world champion Ladji Doucoure was disqualified while former four-time world champion Allen Johnson saw his recent vein of poor form continue with a fourth-placed finish.

In the women’s events, world champion Allyson Felix won the 200m in 22.54sec with the 100m winner in Helsinki Lauryn Williams second in 22.91sec.

Ethiopia’s double world champion Tirunesh Dibaba failed in her bid to set a new 5000m world record, falling some 25sec behind the mark set last year by Turkey’s Ethiopian-born Elvan Abeylegesse.

Sanya Richards repeated her Zurich performance by beating world and Olympic champion Tonique Williams-Darling into second in the women’s 400m.