JEDDAH: Hussain Taher A. Al-Saba and Mohammed Al-Khuwailidi gave Saudi Arabia some consolation for the Beijing Olympics failure by winning the men’s long jump silver and bronze medal respectively at the World Athletics Final yesterday in Stuttgart, Germany.

Al-Saba narrowly lost the gold to Fabrice Lapierre of Australia with a leap of 8.13 meters. Lapierre had a winning effort of 8.14, while Al-Khuwailidi got the bronze by jumping a distance of 8.04.

The Kingdom athletics team returned without a medal from Beijing despite being widely tipped to land an Olympic medal. Overall, the country’s participation in last month’s Games was a flop with zero medal.

Elsewhere, American sprinter Sanya Richards and Ethiopian distance runner Meseret Defar put their Olympic disappointments behind them with victories.

American 400 meters record holder Richards added the 400m title to her 200m victory on Saturday with a convincing victory over British Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu in 50.41 seconds.

Defar outkicked Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot for the second day in a row to win the 3,000 meters in eight minutes 43.60 seconds.

Richards finished third in Beijing while Defar lost both her world record in the 5,000 meters and her Olympic title to compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba.

Despite chilly conditions, Jamaican Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser clocked 10.94 seconds to win the women’s 100 meters.

“I wanted to run sub-10.90, but this is still a good time,” said Fraser, who emerged from obscurity to earn a spot on the Jamaican Olympic team and followed up with a surprise victory in Beijing. Kenyan teenager Pamela Jelimo continued her remarkable success story by winning the 800 meters by more than two seconds in 1:56.23. The 18-year-old, who had not contested the event until April this year, was undefeated this season, winning both the Olympic title and the million-dollar Golden League jackpot.

After two major disappointments, Blanka Vlasic ended her season on a high note with a victory in the high jump. The 24-year-old leaped 2.01 meters, beating both Olympic champion Tia Hellebaut of Belgium, who was third, and German Ariane Friedrich.

Friedrich’s victory over the Croatian in Brussels last weekend cost Vlasic a half share of the Golden League jackpot.

Olympic 400 meters hurdles champion Melaine Walker won her event in 54.06, nearly a full second ahead of Ukraine’s Anastasiya Rebchenyuk. Briton Tasha Danvers of Great Britain, the Olympic bronze medalist, tumbled over the second hurdle and finished eighth.

Elsewhere, Olympic hammer champion Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia won his event with a final round throw of 79.99 meters. Olympic women’s shot put champion Valerie Vili of New Zealand won her event easily with a best of 19.69. Paul Kipsiele Koech, the season’s undisputed number one despite missing the Olympics, won the 3,000 meters steeplechase In the absence of world record holder and Olympic champion Dayron Robles who was sidelined due to injury, American David Oliver won the high hurdles in 13.22 seconds.

— With input from agencies

Oliver, who joined the sub-13 second club this season, was the only man to defeat Robles this year.