Kenya's Kiplagat wins speedy mile by 0.03 seconds

REUTERS - World silver medallist Silas Kiplagat ran the fastest indoor mile in three years as he edged Kenyan compatriot Caleb Ndiku at the USA Track and Field Classic in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Saturday.

Kiplagat sprinted home to nip Ndiku by three-hundredths of a second, clocking three minutes, 52.63 seconds on the fast University of Arkansas track.

"It was a very fast race all around," Kiplagat told reporters after the first six finishers dipped under the year's previous fastest mile.

"I'm definitely happy with where I am at with still plenty of time to improve before this summer," said the 22-year-old Olympic hopeful.

Former world long jump champion Tianna Madison defeated Jamaican Olympic 200 metres gold medallist Veronica Campbell-Brown to win the featured women's 60 metres as three other season's best for 2012 were set at the meeting.

American Madison, the 2005 world outdoor long jump champion, raced to a lifetime best of 7.02 seconds for a six-hundredths of a second win over Campbell-Brown. Former world 200 metres champion Allyson Felix finished fourth in 7.11.

Madison also had the fastest time in the preliminaries, a then-world leading 7.05 seconds.

World champion Kirani James of Grenada showed he is ready for a run at Olympic gold with a season-leading 45.19 seconds in the 400 metres, and Jamaican Commonwealth Games 100 metres gold medallist Lerone Clarke ran the year's fastest 60 metres as he finished in 6.52 seconds to beat former Olympic champion Justin Gatlin.

Olympian Galen Rupp added to the show with the fastest indoor two-mile by an American, running 8:09.72 to better Bernard Lagat's 2011 best.

(Reporting By Gene Cherry in Salvo North Carolina; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)