Usain Bolt ran the fourth-fastest 200m race ever in 19.59 seconds in sinking temperatures and heavy rainfall at the Athletissima meet on Tuesday.
It was one-hundredth of a second slower than what the US’ Tyson Gay ran in May with fair weather and a breeze at his back.
But with the temperature in Lausanne dipping to 15˚C and the track slowed by a downpour, Bolt showed he was back in top form a year after winning the 100m and 200m in world records at the Beijing Olympics.
PHOTO: REUTERS
‘NOT READY YET’
“I’m in good shape, but I’m not fully ready yet,” said the 22-year-old Jamaican, who was aiming to peak for the world championships next month in Berlin.
“I still need to work on a few technical things,” Bolt added.
Bolt said he was “not concerned with records,” even though he was within three-tenths of a second of the 19.30 he posted in Beijing. The other faster time is Michael Johnson’s 19.32 at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
LaShawn Merritt was a distant second in 20.41, while fellow American Shawn Crawford — the 2004 Olympic champion and runner-up last year — finished more than a second behind in fourth.
Bolt’s teammate Asafa Powell won the 100m in 10.07 seconds in what he described as a “good race” given the conditions.
“These were the worst weather conditions for a race in my whole life,” Powell said.
Still, Powell called it his best performance of the season and said Bolt’s world record of 9.69 seconds was within his reach, even though he was nowhere close on Tuesday on the same track where he clocked 9.72 a year ago.
Underscoring the Jamaican dominance in the sprints, Isa Phillips won the 400m hurdles in 48.18 seconds to beat American Kerron Clement.
On the women’s side, Jamaicans Kerron Stewart and Shericka Williams had a 1-2 finish in the women’s 200m, while Shelly-Ann Frase world champion Maryam Jamal was second in the 1,500m behind Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka, who won in 4 minutes, 0.67 seconds.
HOOKER
On the men’s side, Olympic champ Steve Hooker of Australia started his outdoor season by clearing 5.75m to win the pole vault.
Cuba’s Daryon Robles, another gold medalist in Beijing, won the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.18 seconds.
“I came here to run a good race,” said Robles, whose world record stands at 12.87. “But with this rain, it’s too difficult.”
Too difficult for everyone but Bolt, apparently.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
RSS