El-Guerrouj, who broke the 1,500m world record at this same meeting last year, ran 3:43.13 to shave nearly a second-and-a-half off the previous mile mark, 3:44.39, set in 1993 by Algerian Noureddine Morceli at Rieti, Italy.

The 24-year-old was expertly led by the Kenyan pace-setters and Noah Ngeny, the world's fastest man over 1,500m this year, kept pushing the Moroccan all the way to the line for the final 200 metres.

Johnson, the Olympic champion and world record holder, won his 200m duel with world champion Ato Boldon hands down, clocking 19.93 seconds to win.

Boldon faded in the closing metres to be pipped for second place by Obadele Thompson of Barbados (20.12) and finished in 20.14.

Wilson Kipketer, Denmark's Kenyan-born world record holder, won his second consecutive golden league 800m in style, inflicting anotherdefeat on young pretender Japheth Kimutai of Kenya.

Kipketer, who had a terrible year last season after a severe bout of malaria affected his performances, improved on his own world's best performance this year with a convincing victory in 1:42.79.

American Marion Jones, who won a share of the jackpot last year, made it two wins out of two here in 200m.

Jones, the IAAF's Female Athlete of the Year for the past two years, clocked 22.19 to win against Beverly McDonald (22.41).

A million dollars is to be shared by those who win their event in all seven rounds of the golden league which includes the Grand Prix finals in Munich in september. Rome is the second round after Oslo last week.

Results

Men

100m: Maurice Greene (US) 9.85s.

200m: Michael Johonso (US) 19.93s.

800m: Wilson Kipketer (Den) 1:42.79

1500m: Hicham El-Guerrouj (Mor) 3:43.13.

3000m steeplechase: Bernard Barmasai (Kenya) 8:08.30

110m hurdles: Allen Johnson (US) 13.01s.

Women

200m: Marion Jones (US)22.19s

800m: Svetlana Masterkova (Russia) 1:57.63

3000m: Gabriela Szabo (Romania) 8:27.70

400m hurdles: Nezha Bidouane (Morocco) 53.05s.

High jump: Yelena Yelesina (Russia) 2.0m