Bolt hits back with 200m win

SIX-TIME Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt bounced back from a shock 100m defeat in Rome to ease to victory in the 200m at the Oslo Diamond League. The Jamaican’s first outing over his favoured event was disrupted when Churundy Martina false started. On the restart, Bolt got out of the blocks well before pulling away in the final 50 metres to win in 19,79 seconds -the world’s fastest time this year.
Norway’s Jasyma Saidy Ndure was second, ahead of Britain’s James Ellington.

Bolt, who is the only man to break the 20-second mark over 200m this season, arrived in Oslo having lost the 100m by one hundredth of second in Rome last week.

But the Jamaican- as he had promised he would – demonstrated there was no need to be concerned as he powered to victory at the Bislett Stadium.
Bolt, who entered the stadium in an electric Formula 1-style racing car, finished three hundredths of a second quicker than Frankie Fredericks of Namibia managed in 1996 to set a new Bislett Games record.

He later tweeted:  “Very chilly but I ran as fast as I could, and as I promised. It was good so I can’t complain.”
The three British challengers lining up against Bolt could not get close to the world record holder. Ellington clocked 20.55 to edge Belgium’s Olympic 400m finalist Jonathan Borlee for third, David Bolarinwa was fifth in 20.62 and Danny Talbot sixth in 20.72.

Earlier, Britain’s Tiffany Porter eased to victory in the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.76 seconds, comfortably finishing ahead of her nearest rivals Sara Aerts (12.95) and Beate Schrott (12.97).

“It wasn’t my best time but I’m being optimistic and patient. The World Championships in Moscow is the big goal at this point,” said Porter.
There was also a British win in the women’s long jump where Shara Proctor’s first-time leap of 6.89m was enough to secure victory ahead of France’s Eloyse Lesueur (6.68m).

European indoor 400m champion Perri Shakes-Drayton ran a season’s best 54.03 seconds to finish second in the women’s 400m hurdles, behind Olympic bronze medallist Zuzana Hejnova (53.60).

In the men’s 400m, Britain’s Nigel Levine beat Olympic silver medallist Luguelin Santos to take third – but his time of 45.63 secs was not enough to match winner Youssef Ahmed Masrahi (45.33) or Ramon Miller (45.58).-Soccernet.