American Justin Gatlin continued his unbeaten season over 100m by winning the Rieti meet on Sunday in a time of 9.83sec.

Just two days after claiming the honours in Brussels in 9.77sec, the 2004 Olympic 100m gold medallist and double sprint world champion in 2005 before serving a 2006-10 doping ban, streaked home clear of the field.

Jamaican Nesta Carter was a distant second in 10.07 with France’s Christophe Lemaitre in 10.15.

Jamaican Asafa Powell, the former world record holder who is just back himself from a reduced six-month doping ban, won an earlier 100m race in 9.90sec.

“It was my last race of the season, it went really well,” Gatlin told AFP. “Tired? When the times are good like in the 100m and 200m in Brussels, I feel good.”

Gatlin once shared a world record mark of 9.77 with Powell, in May 2006 in Doha, before the result was wiped out because of his doping ban.

Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko won the high jump but could not match Cuban Javier Sotomayor’s mythic record of 2.45m. After jumping 2.36m he failed to clear 2.43m.

Muamer Barshim, the younger brother of Qatar’s World Indoor champion Mutaz Barshim, finished second with a leap of 2.25m, while Ukraine’s Andriy Protsenko was third.

 

 

 

 

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