Bolt, Blake rock Lausanne meet
Source: Agencies |
August 25, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
USAIN Bolt was fast and impressive at the Athletissima Diamond League meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday. Yohan Blake was fast and maybe even more impressive.
Bolt, the Olympic champion and world record holder over 100 and 200 meters, timed 19.58 seconds in the fastest 200 ever run at the speedy Lausanne track. Yet he was almost overshadowed by Blake, his Jamaican rival who earlier closed the gap between them in the all-time 100 rankings.
Blake, a two-time Olympic silver medalist behind Bolt, clocked 9.69 to become the joint second-fastest man in history.
"9.69 is a wonderful result," said Bolt, who ran that time when setting a then-world record at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "I knew he is going to push real hard tonight."
Blake, fighting off a post-London Games cold, overcame a slight headwind to shave .06 off his previous best. He ran 9.75 to beat Bolt in the Jamaican Olympic trials in June and the same time again when his training partner finished in 9.63 to defend his Olympic title earlier this month.
"I knew I was fast and my coach told me I could run faster," said Blake, who shares coach Glen Mills with Bolt. "Today I could finally prove it."
Blake made a fast start and an impressive driving finish to equal the 9.69 run by Tyson Gay of the United States in 2009. Gay finished second in 9.83.
Still, Bolt's world record of 9.58 at the 2009 world championships is at a different level.
After playing air guitar for the television cameras, Bolt used the 1.4m per second of wind assistance to set an Athletissima record, 0.26 behind his gold medal-winning time in London. "This season has not always been great but I'm thrilled with the way it is finishing," Bolt said.
Bolt, the Olympic champion and world record holder over 100 and 200 meters, timed 19.58 seconds in the fastest 200 ever run at the speedy Lausanne track. Yet he was almost overshadowed by Blake, his Jamaican rival who earlier closed the gap between them in the all-time 100 rankings.
Blake, a two-time Olympic silver medalist behind Bolt, clocked 9.69 to become the joint second-fastest man in history.
"9.69 is a wonderful result," said Bolt, who ran that time when setting a then-world record at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "I knew he is going to push real hard tonight."
Blake, fighting off a post-London Games cold, overcame a slight headwind to shave .06 off his previous best. He ran 9.75 to beat Bolt in the Jamaican Olympic trials in June and the same time again when his training partner finished in 9.63 to defend his Olympic title earlier this month.
"I knew I was fast and my coach told me I could run faster," said Blake, who shares coach Glen Mills with Bolt. "Today I could finally prove it."
Blake made a fast start and an impressive driving finish to equal the 9.69 run by Tyson Gay of the United States in 2009. Gay finished second in 9.83.
Still, Bolt's world record of 9.58 at the 2009 world championships is at a different level.
After playing air guitar for the television cameras, Bolt used the 1.4m per second of wind assistance to set an Athletissima record, 0.26 behind his gold medal-winning time in London. "This season has not always been great but I'm thrilled with the way it is finishing," Bolt said.
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