Reuters/Paris
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, said. “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.”
Home favourite Christophe Lemaitre, who won the world bronze two years ago, finish third in 20.07 with Jamaica’s Olympic bronze medallist Warren Weir second in 19.92.
Twice Olympic 100m 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.
“Today it was not the best race technically but I still managed to win,” Fraser-Pryce said. “I did not feel Blessing coming, I just ran my own race,” added the Jamaican who is planning a sprint double in Moscow.
There was a world leading time of 14:23.68 for Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba in the 5,000m as she bids for a third world title over the distance in Moscow next month before turning to the marathon. “It’s a good test before Moscow,” Dibaba told reporters. “It was my last race before the world championships where I’ve decided to race the 5,000 and the 10,000,” added the twice 10,000m world champion.
Fellow Ethiopian Almaz Ayana stunned the crowd by taking second place in 14:25.84, smashing her personal best by more than 26 seconds and becoming the sixth fastest woman of all times.