Jana Pittman put her chief rival in her place and Patrick Johnson also sent a major Commonwealth Games warning in two Telstra A-Series performances.

Just minutes after Johnson emerged as a serious 100m gold medal contender, Pittman overcame rain and wind at Brisbane's QEII Stadium to overpower English 23-year-old Nicola Sanders.

The former 400m hurdles world champion was delighted with her victory in 54.49secs, almost a second and a half ahead of Sanders (55.93).

Running a lane inside Sanders, who recorded an amazing 50.72 400m flat last month, Pittman passed her with 220m to go as the English runner misjudged the fifth hurdle and powered on.

"I'm absolutely stoked," Pittman said.

"It was just a second below my PB so in these conditions I couldn't have asked for more."

Pittman was ecstatic with the way she handled the pressure of Sanders' challenge and felt her trademark strength had returned 20 days before the 400m hurdles final at the Melbourne Games.

She expected Sanders to rebound in next Thursday's A-Series meet in Melbourne and hoped she could personally finish better in the last 100m.

Just as impressive was Johnson who beat an all-star international 100m field including highly-ranked Jamaican Michael Frater.

The Queenslander was slowest out of the blocks but sped home, allowing himself to open his arms in seeming mock surprise as he crossed the line in 10.53.

Welshman Christian Malcolm (10.59) followed with Johnson's 4x100 relay teammates Josh Ross (10.60) and Daniel Batman (10.61) third and fourth.

Johnson expected the win would make him a marked man leading into the Games.

"It's nice to come out and win but now they will want to take me (out)," Johnson said.

"These guys like Frater and (Asafa) Powell ... they're going to come back hungry now. I was hoping to stay off the radar."

World championship silver-medallist Frater (10.63) was seventh, just behind Matt Shirvington, while English Olympic relay gold medallist Marlon Devonish (10.60) won the first of the two 100m races.

Australia's main female sprint hope Sally McLellan suffered her first loss in any race this season when Jamaican Brigitte Foster came home over the top of her in the 100m hurdles.

World-ranked at No.2, Foster was delighted with her time of 13.23s after arriving from the Caribbean only two days ago.

"I'm quite jet-lagged, it's 3am right now in Jamaica so I'm half asleep and quite happy," she said

McLellan, who has a PB of 13.01, cut an angry figure after the race but said she was more disappointed with her time (13.33) than the rare loss.

"(Second) is not too shabby. Being close to her in the hurdles and knowing she's a world-leading competitor ... going into the Commonwealth Games is a big thrill," she said.

McLellan bounced back strongly in the 100 flat to win in 11.80

Consistent drizzling rain was such a menace at QEII it forced the men's pole vault to be called off due to unsafe conditions.

In other competition, it took an extended jump-off for high jumper Nick Maroney to ward off an upset by Mark Taylor after both recorded 2.13m.

Hammer thrower Stuart Rendell (75.86m) and triple jumper Janette Bowles (12.84m) notched predictable wins in the lead-up to Games appearances.

Jane Saville (21min48.58sec) led her sister Natalie and fellow Games qualifier Cheryl Webb home in the 5000m walk.

Veteran 110m hurdler Kyle Vander-Kuyp was relegated to seventh as Scot Chris Baillie (13.85) edged out Englishman Andy Turner by 0.01s.

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