Usain still lightning quick
He’s out to get Gatlin after easy triumph
USAIN BOLT made a triumphant return to London’s Olympic Stadium last night as he went from being the 62nd fastest man in the world this year at the start of the meeting, before finishing it as the sixth. Storming to a season’s best of 9.87seconds — both in the 100metre semi-final and final — Bolt proved to his main rival Justin Gatlin that he is far from past his best.
USAIN BOLT has set the scene f or a mouthwatering battle in Beijing next month between the superstar of the sport and its chief villain Justin Gatlin by winning his first serious 100metres of the season in 9.87seconds.
The Jamaican then watched his friend Mo Farah storm to victory in the 3,000m at the Anniversary Games, breaking his Olympic Stadium record in the process.
Farah has never lost at the venue where he made history by doing the distance double at London 2012. He received the loudest c heers of t he ni ght as he demolished the f i eld i n 7min 34.66sec, celebrating by pretending to shoot an arrow into the stands.
The roars Farah received eclipsed those which Jessica Ennis-Hill received as she continues her comeback after the birth of her son, Reggie. The 29-year-old could only manage fifth place — despite recording a season’s best time of 12.79sec — in the 100m hurdles.
Six-time Olympic champion Bolt, who had run just four times this season before last night, dismissed all concerns about his fitness on a wet track into a slight headwind.
However, many fans missed out on Bolt’s performance after queues at the gates to collect tickets — some going for £50 each — meant that people were standing in the wind and rain for up to two hours before deciding to give up and go home for the night.
At the start of the evening, Bolt was the 62nd fastest man in the world this year; by the end he was sixth and promising there was more to come.
‘I just need to work a bit more and then I should be OK to defend my World Championships title,’ he said, hurling down the gauntlet to Gatlin.
Ever the showman, the Jamaican pretended to play the drums on the start line as he worked the 40,000 crowd. He had earlier jogged to an identical 9.87sec time in his semi-final, but his start in the final was not what he had hoped for.
Gatlin, unbeaten in 23 races, was not at the Anniversary Games in accordance with the organisers’ pledge not to invite athletes who have previously brought the sport into disrepute.
But he is the form man, having run 9.75sec or quicker three times this season. The American has even broached t he possibility of breaking Bolt’s 9.58sec world record in Beijing next month.
But the 28-year- old was having none of that.
‘I’m ready to win,’ he added. ‘I really wanted to run faster here tonight but it’s getting there, so that’s a good thing.
‘It was wonderful. I really love this crowd, I absolutely l ove competing here.’
In the same race, British 100m champion CJ Ujah went sub-10sec for only the second time in his career, equalling his 9.96sec best.
Bolt’s coach Glenn Mills has clearly developed a recipe for success in the hills above the Jamaican capital Kingston, where his athletes train on a grass track.
Earlier in the evening Zharnel Hughes, also coached by Mills, stormed to a huge personal best of 20.05sec to win the 200m and become the third fastest Briton over the distance after John Regis and Adam Gemili.
The 20-year-old, dubbed ‘the new Bolt,’ became Britain’s first sprint Diamond League winner in Monaco eight days ago and doubled the tally in London.
Hughes re c e ntl y s witched allegiance f rom Anguilla — a British overseas territory which is not allowed to send a team to the Olympics — and he said the home crowd had helped spur him to his victory.
‘I wasn’t expecting it because of the weather conditions,’ said Hughes. ‘Thanks to the people of London — thank you for the support you’ve given me thus far. I’m going to try to go sub- 20 seconds next time I run. I could have run it tonight but there was a head wind.’
This was Farah’s first appearance in Britain since allegations that his coach Alberto Salazar was involved i n the doping of his athletes, including Farah’s training partner Galen Rupp.
In the immediate wake of the doping storm, Farah angered spectators by pulling out of the Birmingham Grand Prix on the day of the event citing emotional exhaustion as the reason.
Farah has run three times since then — previously winning a 5,000m race in Monaco and finishing a very creditable fourth over 1,500m in Switzerland last week in a race where Asbel Kiprop almost broke the world record.
Paula Radcliffe predicted Farah would be given a hard time at the Olympic Stadium because of his Birmingham no-show. It can only be assumed that most of them were stuck i n the l ong queue outside because, when Farah was introduced on the stadium big screen, there was only warm applause.
‘I want you to get behind me,’ said the 5,000m and 10,000m Olympic champion, addressing the fans, and they obliged by roaring him home.
Farah hit the front with 1,000m to go but came under pressure from Kenyan Emmanuel Kipsang. He may have been toying with the field, though, because in the end he won by 30m.
There was disappointment for Richard Kilty, thwarted in a bid to prove his fitness before the British team for the World Championships is announced on Tuesday.
The world 60m indoor champion was disqualified for a false start in the 100m, angrily pushing a steward as he was ushered away.