It was business as usual yesterday morning for sprint superstar Usain Bolt, who cruised into the second round of the 200m at the World Athletics Championships, while high-jump queen Blanka Vlasic booked her place in tomorrow’s final despite a cut head.
Having torn up his own 100m world record on Sunday night when he sliced 0.11 seconds off the time he clocked at Beijing’s Olympic Games exactly one year before, world 200m record-holder Bolt strolled into the second round.
He was the eighth fastest man through and the 22-year-old was in cruise control as he won his heat on Tuesday morning to book his place in the evening’s second round with a time of 20.70 seconds.
PHOTO: AFP
“I am happy, everything went well this morning,” Bolt said.
Having set a new 100m world record of 9.58 seconds on Sunday evening, Bolt is bidding to claim the sprint double and his own world record of 19.30 seconds he set in Beijing must be under threat for Thursday night’s final.
With world leader Tyson Gay out of the 200m with a groin injury, only injury or a massive shock will deny Bolt a second gold here.
PHOTO: AP
Bolt’s main rivals Shawn Crawford and Wallace Spearmon both eased their way into the next round with no problems.
World high-jump champion Vlasic booked her place in tomorrow night’s final after coming through the qualification round despite suffering a freak head injury early yesterday morning.
The competition favorite was left with a bleeding scalp after hitting her head on the door frame while stretching in her hotel room.
“I hit my head when I was warming up in the morning in the hall, I went to the ambulance and got six stitches, there was blood everywhere. My hair is still full of blood, I can’t wait to wash it,” she said..
“It was a turbulent morning, I can’t wait to go back to the hotel and to have a rest,” Vlasic said. “If I can survive this I can survive anything.”
The Croat came out and worked her way up the heights clearing 1.85m, 1.89m, 1.92m, 1.95m to lead Group A, while her German arch-rival Ariane Friedrich laid down her marker by clearing 1.95m at the first time of asking.
It will be a battle royale between the pair as Friedrich famously beat Vlasic in Brussels last season to deny her a share of the US$1 million Golden League jackpot.
Since then she has beaten Vlasic at both the European Indoor championships in March and Berlin’s Golden League meet in June.
In the men’s 400m, Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt, who has run all three of the fastest times this season, won his heat to progress to tonight’s semi-final, finishing fifth overall.
In qualification for the men’s discus, Germany’s Robert Harting threw 66.81m to claim the furthest distance just ahead of Olympic champion Gerd Kanter of Estonia who threw 66.73m with the final tonight.
In the women’s 1,500m, Olympic champion Nancy Langat of Kenya made light work of her first round run when she clocked 4:08.16 behind heat winner Anna Alminova with the semi-finals on Friday.
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