MILAN, Sept 8:

Daniel Komen of Kenya and Ludmilla Engqulst of Sweden captured the last major honours of a mo

mentous summer of athletics on Sunday when they were crowned the overall winners at the Grand Prix final, reports Reuter.

Komen. 20, followed up his world record 3,000 metres last Sunday with a tactical victory in the 5.000 metres that showed maturity beyond his years. His win earned him 250.000 dollars—200.000 dollars for winning the overall crown and 50.000 dollars for winning the 5,000 event.

Engqulst completed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the sport's recent history with her victory in the 100 metres hurdles in 12.61 seconds which guaranteed her the women's overall title and a similar cash windfall of 250.000 dollars.

Two years ago Engqulst was locked in a legal battle with the sport's authorities and was banned from competing after a doping ban imposed while she was still competing for her native Russia.

That ban was eventually cut short by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) last December, and since then she has become a Swedish citizen, won the Olympic title and now the overall Grand Prix title.

"It Is beyond my wildest dreams.'' she said, "When I was fighting my case and living in a small apartment in Russia I could never have imagined anything like this."

Komen, who has been Erominent in Junior athletics, ut made his mark as a senior only this season, crowned a glorious week in which he smashed Noureddine Morceli's 3.000 world record In Rieti. Italy, last Sunday with a victory over another of the year's emerging stars. Salah Hissou of Morocco, the new 10.000 world record holder.

Komen clocked an electrifying 55 seconds for the first lap of his 5,000 and then traded places with Hissou over the last 1,000 metres before breaking away with 300 metres to run and coming home in 12 minutes 52.38 seconds.

Hissou was second in 12:54.83 and the win was worth an extra 100,000 dollar to the Kenyan. If he had finished second In his race. Britain's Jonathan Edwards would have taken the overall title because he won the triple Jump and that would have given him more points in the overall rankings than Komen. Edwards took sec ond place overall with prize money of 150,000 dollars.

Although Komen and En-aulst emerged as the biggest liners of the day, the outstanding performance of the meet came from 36-year-old Merlene Ottey of Jamaica who lifted herself into second place on the all-time list of women sprinters when she won the 100 metres in 10.74 seconds.

The only woman ever to run faster Is Florence Grlffth Joyner who clocked four quicker times in 1988 when she set the current world record of 10.49 seconds.

Ottey's time was the fastest run since Grlffth Joyner clocked 10.62 in a qualifying round on her way to winning the Olympic title in 1988 and Ottey was delighted afterwards.

'That is the fastest I have ever run and I felt so good today. I had really worked hard for this race and felt I would win it."

Not only was her time impressive but also the style of her victory. Trailing Olympic champion Gail Devers until around the 80 metre mark she blazed past the American in the last few strides to earn herself 150,000 dollars in prize money by finishing second in the overall standings.

Michael Johnson, who became the first man to win an Olympic 200-400 double in At fonts and also set two world 200 metres records this summer, chalked up his 57th straight victory over 400 metres in 44-53 seconds, but Olympic champion NoureddineMorceli's four-year unbeaten run over 1,500 metres or the mile came to an end.

Morceli was outpaced over the home straight by Hicham el GuerroudJ of Morocco, the youngster gaining some consolation for the fall in the Olympic 1.500 metre final which cost him a medal.

It was Morceli's first defeat over 1.500 metres or a mile in 56 races since 1992. a signal that his position as the best distance runner in the world is now under serious threat.