Superb Bolt warns rivals with an electric sprint

Gowda finishes creditable fourth in discus throw

Olympic champion Usain Bolt sent out a warning to his rivals ahead of the world championships by running the fastest time of the year to win the 200 metres at the Paris Diamond League on Saturday.

The world record holder eased to the line in 19.73 bettering American Tyson Gay’s world lead by 0.01 seconds and then said there was more to come.  “I came out to try and execute the best I could. I did a few things wrong but all I have to do is go back to the drawing board and get it right,” Bolt, who was dogged by a hamstring injury earlier in the season, told a news conference.

“I lost one 100 metres and a lot of people are making a big deal out of it, and it doesn’t really bother me,” the Jamaican said in reference to his defeat by Justin Gatlin in Rome last month.  “I am a championship person, I’m not worried, as long as I’m in great shape.”  Twice Olympic 100 metres champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce held off Nigeria’s fast-finishing Blessing Okagbare for a thrilling win in 10.92 seconds, 0.01 ahead of her rival who beat her over 200 last weekend. There was a world leading time of 14:23.68 for Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba in the 5,000 metres as she bids for a third world title over the distance in Moscow next month.

Gowda fourth

India’s Vikas Gowda finished fourth in men's discus throw event. Asian champion Vikas, who rushed off on the same night he won the gold medal for the Paris meet, hurled the discus to 64.45 metres.


Results: Men: 200M: Usain Bolt (Jamaica) 19.73 seconds, 1; Warren Weir (Jamaica) 19.92, 2; Christophe Lemaitre (France) 20.07, 3.      400M: Kirani James (Grenada) 43.96, 1; LaShawn Merritt (US) 44.09, 2; Tony McQuay (US) 44.84, 3.      
1500M: Ayanleh Souleiman (Djibouti) 3:32.55, 1; Aman Wote (Ethiopia) 3:32.65, 2; Leonel Manzano (US) 3:33.14, 3.    110M hurdles: Aries Merritt (US) 13.09, 1; Pascal Martinot-Lagarde (France) 13.12, David Oliver (US) 13.13, 3.      3000M steeplechase: Ezekiel Kemboi (Kenya) 7:59.03, 1; Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (France) 8:00.09, 2; Paul Kipsiele Koech (Kenya) 8:09.17, 3. Long jump: Damar Forbes (Jamaica) 8.11 metres, 1; Christopher Tomlinson (Britain) 8.08, 2; Louis Tsatoumas (Greece) 8.02, 3. Pole vault: Renaud Lavillenie (France) 5.92, 1; Jan Kudlicka (Czech Republic) 5.70, 2; Konstadinos Filippidis (Greece) 5.70, 3.  Discus throw: Robert Harting (Germany) 67.04, 1; Ehsan Hadadi (Iran) 65.53, 2; Gerd Kanter (Estonia) 65.30, 3.  Women: 100M: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) 10.92, 1; Blessing Okagbare (Nigeria) 10.93, 2; Murielle Ahoure (Cote D'Ivoire) 11.01, 3.      800M: Francine Niyonsaba (Burundi) 1:57.26, 1; Malika Akkaoui (Morocco) 1:57.64, 2; Alysia Johnson Montano (US) 1:57.75, 3. 5000M: Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) 14:23.68, 1; Almaz Ayana (Ethiopia) 14:25.84, 2; Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) 14:42.07, 3.400M hurdles: Zuzana Hejnova (Czech Republic) 53.23, 1; Perri Shakes-Drayton (Britain) 53.96, 2; Georganne Moline (US) 54.19, 3. High jump: Anna Chicherova (Russia) 2.01, 1; Brigetta Barrett (US) 1.98, 2; Blanka Vlasic (Croatia) 1.98, 3.      Triple jump: Caterine Ibargueen (Colombia) 14.69, 1; Hanna Knyazyeva (Israel) 14.58, 2; Olha Saladuha (Ukraine) 14.55, 3.       
Shot put: Valerie Adams (New Zealand) 20.62, 1; Michelle Carter (US) 19.57, 2; Nadine Kleinert (Germany) 17.95, 3.      
Javelin throw: Christina Obergfoell (Germany) 64.74, 1; Kimberley Mickle (Australia) 64.35, 2; Madara Palameika (Latvia) 61.36, 3.