Kelly Sotherton and Marlon Devonish might have posted personal bests at the Don Valley Stadium yesterday but the afternoon undoubtedly belonged to Dame Kelly Holmes.

The double Olympic gold medallist was making her final appearance on a British track yesterday - in possibly her last competitive run ever - and although she failed to show even a glimmer of the form that resulted in her Athenian deification no-one was too disappointed.

Holmes finished eighth in the 800 metres, with a palsied time of two minutes 06.69 seconds behind winner Jenny Meadows, whose place in sports trivia is now assured. It is a measure of her recent travails that even that was a season's best effort for the 35-year-old Holmes.

But the suggestion that she may discover the drive and determination to make the Commonwealth Games next spring her swan song, seemed utterly fanciful as she aggravated the leg injury that has blighted her all year.

"I gave it my best shot but with 200 metres to go my Achilles went," Holmes explained. "It's a bit frustrating that I was not able to be on my best form because it's been a very emotional day, which didn't help."

And the future? "I need to get my Achilles sorted out and have a rest then I can think about it with a clear mind," she said.

The only athlete she beat in that race was heptathlete Sotherton, who professed herself happy with trimming another two hundredths of a second of her best over two laps.

"It was a horrible race, I am not normally so tired afterwards," said the Birchfield Harrier. "I got caught up in the big bunch and couldn't get out.

"I am pleased with the time though - the splits were virtually the same as Helsinki - and not many heptathletes can run that sort of time."

Equally happy was Coventry Godiva sprinter Devonish, who equalled his personal best of 10.13 secs for the 100m.

The 29-year-old crossed the line fifth, behind winner Kim Collins who set a stadium record with 10.01 secs.

"To come back from the World Championships and equal my PB was very, very pleasing," said Devonish.

"I would like to have gone a bit quicker but it is only the second time I have run 10.13 and there are still parts of my race I feel I can work on.

"I have not run that fast in the 100m for seven years now, since Kuala Lumpar. It is really good for next year I have really found that that hunger for the 100m again."

Sadly the 200m wasn't so good. Olympic and World champion Justin Gatlin won it by the width of his vest from Tyson Gay with Devonish back in fourth in 20.48 secs.

And that after blazing round the top bend in serious contention.

"I have been having technical problems with my 200m all year. I am really, really quick now but I am struggling to hold it round the turn," said Devonish.

Elsewhere, there were star performances from Miguel Pate, who beat Olympic and World titleist Dwight Phillips in the long jump, Virgiljius Alenka, who set an all-comers record of 69.22m in the discus, and Tirunesh Dibaba , who took the women's 5,000m in a Don Valley record.

The double world champion failed in her bid to set a new 5,000 metres world record.

The Ethiopian, who won the 5,000m-10,000m double at the recent World Championships in Helsinki, ran a blisteringly fast last lap to pull clear of her sister, Ejegayehu, but her time of 14:51.77 was more than 25 seconds shy of the mark set last year by Turkey's Elvan Abeylegesse.

World champion Allyson Felix won the 200m in 22.54secs with the 100m winner from Helsinki, Lauryn Williams, second in 22.91secs.

Meanwhile, Birchfield's sprinting future looks to be in safe hands with their 4x100m Under-17 squad winning their race in 43.16secs.

Initially it looked as though they had finished second after Blackheath and Bromley's Danny Doyley ran clear of Robert Davis on the anchor leg.

But Harriers' solid performance was rewarded when Blackheath were disqualified, handing first place to Davis, Ryan Farrington, Mitchell Swain and Luke Lennon-Ford.

The Coventry Godiva quartet of Jamie Blundell, Jermaine Donkor, Michael Thompson and Joel Fearon, came third.

And another Stag, Julian Thomas, was delighted with his fourth place in the Under-20 100m in which he clocked 10.37secs and took nearly a third of a second of his personal best.

The event was won by Simon Williamson of Highgate in 10.22secs.

"It was my first hundred of the season," said 18-year-old Thomas. "After the European Championships I wanted to lower my 100m time of 10.8secs which didn't really equate to my 200m best of 20.6secs. I did that and I am really happy."