Bolt edges Powell, Pearson dominates
Usain Bolt made it three out of three on his European tour of 100m
outings with a thrilling victory over Jamaican teammate Asafa Powell in
the Diamond League meeting here on Thursday.
Other stand-out performances came from Australian world champion
Sally Pearson over the women's 100m hurdles and Kenyan Milcah Chemos,
who ran the fourth fastest time ever in the 3000m steeplechase.
After a sun-kissed opening two hours of competition, the temperatures
dropped for the Bolt v Powell duel, but the Jamaicans did not let the
capacity crowd at the Bislett Stadium down.
Teeth gritted and long legs pumping, Bolt screamed through the finish
line in 9.79 seconds, Powell notching up his 77th sub-10sec 100m in
9.85sec.
The 25-year-old reigning double Olympic sprint champion left it late
in the race to reel in Powell, the former world record holder who was
left wondering what he has to do to improve on his 11-1 losing record
against Bolt.
"I really enjoyed it!" beamed Bolt. "My execution was alright. I'm
going home now to top things up.
"I'll look to go fast and look forward to the trials." Powell added:
"It was an awesome race. I was there until 85 metres then my legs tired.
"Usain is a lot stronger at the end so that was it. But it's good to
go to the trials with such a fast time. It brings me confidence."
In the 100m hurdles, Pearson equalled her own world leading time of
12.49sec, overcoming a false start by British heptathlete Jessica Ennis
to power home 0.07sec ahead of American Kristi Castlin, with US-born
Briton Tiffany Porter taking third (12.70).
"I travelled 29 hours to get here, I'm a bit jet-lagged but I'm doing
well," the 25-year-old Pearson said.
"I like being chased, it keeps me hungry.
I'm not feeling the pressure because I'm feeling confident."
Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, the reigning Olympic 5000 and 10,000m
champion who is battling to rediscover his world-beating form after
injury, sat back in the field of the 5,000m until the bell rang for the
last lap.
But he had left himself far too much to do, finishing fifth, with
compatriot Dejen Gebremeskel taking the honours in 12:58.92, with 10
Ethiopians in the first 12.
World champion Dai Greene was also upset in the 400m hurdles, Puerto
Rico's Javier Culson winning in a world lead of 47.92sec.
Greene, a week after pulling out of Rome with a stomach virus, came
in fourth in 48.98sec.
"That was not a good race for me," said Greene. "I pushed hard in the
first 250 metres and had nothing left."
Botswana's world 400m wchampion Amantle Montsho made no mistake in
her race, coming home in 49.68sec to send out a warning to world leader
Sanya Richards-Ross of the United States.
Milkah Chemos smashed more than 6sec off her own season leading time
in the 3000m steeplechase, timing a fourth fastest time ever of 9:07.14,
a new African record.
"When I improve my technique over the barriers I definitely think I
can go close to the world record," the 26-year-old said.
"But first up is the Kenyan trials." Chemos' teammate Asbel Kiprop,
the Olympic 1500m champion, clinched the Dream Mile in 3:49.22 ahead of
compatriot Caleb Ndiku and world indoor bronze medallist Mekonnen
Gebremedhin of Ethiopia.
There was also no drama for in-form Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie, who
won the pole vault with a best of 5.82m, 20cm higher than German rival
Malte Mohr. AFP |