Former 100-meter world record-holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica settled for second place behind American Trell Kimmons in the 60 meters at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix athletics meet.
Kimmons, the second-slowest qualifier for the final, surged from the start and outleaned his rivals at the finish line to win in 6.51 seconds with Powell, a world and Olympic 4×100 relay champion, second in 6.52, and American Michael Rodgers, the 2010 world runner-up at 60m, third in 6.53.
“I knew coming into this meet it was a great field,” Kimmons said. “I just wanted to get off to a great start and execute my race.”
Kimmons, a US indoor and outdoor sprint runner-up who took Olympic silver on the 4×100 relay in London, will race next week in New York at the Millrose Games and then rest until the outdoor season.
Powell, who owned the world record from 2005 until 2008, when Usain Bolt broke the mark, tested positive for a banned substance in 2013. His ban ended last year.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye won the women’s 60m crown in 7.15, edging American Tianna Bartoletta, a two-time world long jumpchampion, by .04 of a second with Ghana’s Flings Owusu-Agyapong third in 7.26.
New Zealand’s Nick Willis, the 2008 Olympic 1,500 runner-up, won the mile in 3:51.61, shattering the decade-old meet record of 3;43.18 by Kenyan Laban Rotich with the year’s world-best time and a New Zealand record.
“That’s really cool,” Willis said of his achievements. “My finish was really good. It was just a matter if I could hang on.”
American Ben Blankenship was second in 3:53.13 with Morocco’s Abdalaati Iguider, the 2012 world 1,500 champion, third in 3:54.41.
Ethiopia’s Dejen Gebremeskel, the 2012 London Olympic 5,000m runner-up, won the 3,000 in 7:48.19, edging American Bernard Lagat by .14.
Ethiopian Dawit Seyaum, last year’s world 1,500 outdoor junior champion, took the women’s 2,000 in 5:35.46 with Kenya’s Sally Kipyego, a 10,000m London Olympic runner-up, second in 5:40.35.
American Jenny Simpson, the 2011 world 1,500m champion champion, captured the women’s two mile in 9:18.35.
American Chaunte Lowe, the 2012 world indoor champion, cleared 1.88 to win the high jump while Mary Saxer won the women’s pole vault in 4.50.
Reigning Olympic pole vault champion Jenn Suhr was third at 4.50 after nearly skipping the meet due to illness.
“I really kind of used it as a practice,” she said. “It was a little bit of a debate to come here. I had a couple of good jumps but that was about it. I’ll really go back to getting my body where it was and forget about this meet.”
Two-time world indoor champion Ryan Whiting won the shot put at 21.43m with four-time world champion Christian Cantwell second at 20.83.
Matthew Centrowitz won the men’s 1,000 in 2:17.00 while Treniere Moser won the women’s 1,000 in 2:37.86, edging training partner Mary Cain by .39.