Friday, July 7, 2006

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP): Jamaica's Sherone Simpson will go head-to-head with American Marion Jones at the Athletissima meeting in the Swiss city of Lausanne next week, the organisers announced Thursday.

Jones secured the US women's 100m title last month in Indianapolis and will compete against Simpson, who clocked a season's best of 10.82 seconds last month, in the women's 100m by the shores of Lake Geneva on July 11.

It will be a rare appearance on the European circuit for Jones, who has been shunned by several meetings since she was linked to the BALCO doping scandal in the United States.

Jones has denied all charges and has never tested positive for any performance-enhancing substances.

"We think that in some way she's served her sentence," Athletissima spokesman Pierre-Andre Pasche told the Swiss sports news agency SI.

Another US-Jamaican sprint clash was ruled out when Justin Gatlin snubbed the chance to line up in the men's 100m against arch-rival Asafa Powell of Jamaica.

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