Usain Bolt proved his fitness before next month’s Olympics as he dominated the men’s 200m at the Anniversary Games in London’s Olympic Stadium. With 17 gold medals between the World Championships and the Olympics, Bolt is on the road to becoming the most decorated track and field athlete of all time.
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“I’m getting there”, said Bolt.
“I’m not fully in shape”.
Bolt, speaking at the end of the race in London, “I have not been able to a good start; but able to finish the race without any injury, but I’m happy”. That record was older than Harrison!
The 23-year-old Harrison obliterated a world-class field and the Bulgarian Yordanka Donkova’s 100m hurdles world record which had stood for 28 years. Bolt won gold in the 100 and the 00-meter sprint.
Usain Bolt is back.
But what has not altered is Bolt’s supremacy on this track, and in his sport.
In the 100m none of the trio of American big guns was present but Jamaican 2015 world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has ground to make up if she is to win a third successive Olympic title as she managed only third in 11.06 on Saturday as she continues her recovery from an injury-hit season.
For those worrying that the sprinter would not be fit enough to take top billing at August’s Olympics, those fears have probably now been allayed.
Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas on the other hand was impressed with her victory of 49.55 in the women’s 400m race as she gets ready for Rio.
“I was satisfied with that one”, said Farah, who dedicated his win to his eldest daughter Rhianna, who celebrated her 11th birthday on Friday. It’s Kelly Holmes’ Olympic gold medal record. “It’s great to have”.
Someone who can beat Bolt to one record is his fellow Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
It contributed to plenty of fast times across the 10th Diamond League meeting of the season – as well as two significant record-breaking moments for the British team.
British heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill finished last in a time of 13.04.
The pair are scheduled to compete in the long jump on Saturday afternoon.
The women’s quartet of Asha Philip, Desiree Henry, Dina Asher-Smith and Daryl Neita kicked off the London Anniversary Games with a superb demonstration of speed.
“I was confident already going into Rio but to take a record on home soil going into the Olympics, that couldn’t have made my confidence any higher”. Britain’s Emily Diamond, Seren Bundy-Davies and Anyika Onuora finished seventh, eighth and ninth.
Harrison’s face was a picture of shock and joy, but mostly shock, as she began to register the magnitude of her achievement before sinking to her knees on the track where she had won her earlier semi-final in 12.40.
“I wanted to come out here and do what I know what I could have done [in Rio]”, she said.
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Elsewhere in London, there was a trio of French winners: Jimmy Vicaut ran a sluggish 100 meters in 10.02 seconds, Pierre-Ambroise Bosse clocked 1 minute, 43.88 seconds in the 800 and Renaud Lavillenie cleared 5.90 meters in the pole vault.
