Usain Bolt cruised to another victory in the 200m at the World Athletics final on Sunday and American sprinter Carmelita Jeter became the third-fastest woman ever by clocking 10.67 seconds in the 100m.
Bolt finished in 19.68 in his last race of the season, coming fast out of the bend as usual but relaxing toward the end, when he understood he would not be setting another world record. Wallace Spearmon of the US was second in 20.21 and Brendan Christian of Antigua was third in 20.65.
“I’m really tired, but I did what I had to do and I am happy,” Bolt said. “I decided I had one more good race in me, so I should just do it here and go home.” Bolt received thunderous applause before and after the race from the crowd of 27,000 that filled Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Thessaloniki.
PHOTO: AFP
The Olympic and world champion said he would next return to Jamaica to celebrate his two world records in the 100m and 200m from last month’s worlds in Berlin.
“Then I’ll probably have a vacation somewhere, and just chill until training starts again in November,” Bolt said.
Jeter had the best performance of the day, running into a slight headwind of 0.1mps to beat the Jamaican duo of Shelly-Ann Fraser (10.89) and Kerron Stewart (10.90). It was a small measure of revenge for Jeter, after losing to Fraser at worlds.
Only world record-holder Florence Griffith-Joyner and Marion Jones have run faster. Griffith-Joyner’s world record from 1988 is 10.49, while Jones ran 10.65 in 1998.
Jeter attributed her improvement to a change in coaches, after signing up with veteran track coach John Smith in November last year.
“When I started trusting the things my coach said, I got faster,” she said. “Now I have a more positive attitude.”
Earlier, Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic tried to set a new world record in the women’s high jump, but failed three times to clear 2.10m. She came closest in her final attempt.
Vlasic won the event with a 2.04m leap.
New Zealander Valerie Villi, the defending Olympic and world champion, continued her domination of the shot put by throwing 21.07m, a world best this season, with her second throw. Her previous best was 20.69m. Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus was a distant second with 19.56m.
Sanya Richards wanted to cap her most successful season so far — becoming world champion and sharing the Golden League jackpot — with a new US record in the women’s 400m. However, she had to settle with victory in 49.96 seconds, falling short of her own record of 48.70 from 2006.
Richards was third entering the final stretch but shifted gears to overtake her rivals and add to the second place she earned in Saturday’s 200m race. Novlene Williams-Mills was second in 50.34 and fellow Jamaican Shericka Williams was third in 50.49.
Ethiopia’s Meseret Defar added the women’s 3,000m to Saturday’s victory in the 5,000m, taking away US$60,000 for her two victories.
In the women’s 400m hurdles, Olympic and world champion Melaine Walker of Jamaica won easily in 53.36, with compatriot Kaliese Spencer coming second in 53.99.
Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia prevailed in the men’s hammer throw with a 79.80m heave, ahead of Latvia’s Igors Sokolovs with 77.32m.
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