Sprint king Usain Bolt took his first strides toward the goal of an unprecedented Olympic “threepeat” at the Rio de Janeiro Games with a modest 10.05-second run and an easy victory at the Cayman Invitational on Saturday.
Starting in lane four, the Jamaican had a moderate start in his season-opening race before stepping away from the field in the last 60m and cruising to the tape.
Bolt’s time was the third lowest in a career boasting the 100m and 200m titles at the past two Olympics along with golds in the 4x100m relays.
However, the 29-year-old said he was satisfied with his first test since last year’s world championships in Beijing, where he added another three titles to his honor roll before calling a premature end to his season.
“I’m just glad I got out of that one injury free,” Bolt told reporters after beating Jason Rodgers of St Kitts and Nevis (10.12 seconds) and third-placed compatriot Kemar Bailey-Cole (10.18). “It’s a season-opener so you never know what to expect.”
“I haven’t run all season, so I expected to be rusty, and just like last season, I need more races to get sharp,” Bolt said.
“So I’m not worried, just about working up to the top now,” he said.
“Now my coach [Glen Mills] can analyze the race, see what we need to do, see what we need to work on and move from there,” he added.
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