Bolt opens season with quick 400 metres
Triple world and Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt opened his season
with a meet record 45.86 seconds for 400 metres at the Camperdown
Classic on Saturday. "I guess I am getting there," Bolt told reporters.
"I never felt as good as I wanted to, but it was a good race.
"My coach spoke to me about running the first 200 metres too hard, so
I tried to pace myself and bring it home nice and smooth," said the 100
and 200 metres world record holder, who runs the 400 early in the season
as part of his training.
Racing in lane four, Bolt established a commanding lead down the
backstretch, then cruised to the fastest 400 metres run at the
six-year-old meeting.
The 22-year-old covered the distance in 46.35 seconds at the classic
last year. His personal best is 45.28 in 2007. Bolt's coach, Glen Mills,
told reporters earlier this week he was satisfied with the sprinter's
training so far.
"His training has been going well and he is healthy," Mills said.
"This year is really not an intense one." Bolt said Mills would
determine whether he participates in the Commonwealth Games in India in
October.
"My coach decides what I do, and he is putting a lot of thought into
participating at the games," Bolt said.
"I am not even sure when and where my first 100 metres race of the
year will be."
His only announced competition on the new Diamond League circuit is a
100 metres race at the Adidas Grand Prix in New York on June 12.
Saturday's race is likely to be his only one at 400 metres, Bolt
said.
"I pulled out of the UWI (University of the West Indies) meet next
week because it clashed with some sponsors' duties ... and I should have
run the 400 metres there, so I guess that I will not be doing any more
400 metres for the rest of the season."
Although current holder Michael Johnson and others have suggested
Bolt could break the 400 metres world record, the Jamaican said his
coach would also have final say as to whether he would push harder in
the distance.
KINGSTON, Sunday, Reuters |