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Usain Bolt broke his own Jamaican national record in the 200 meters tonight, clocking a spectacular 19.67 seconds at the Tsliklitiria Super Grand Prix at Olympic Stadium in Athens.
Approaching the turn with a clear lead, the 21-year-old relentlessly powered down the homestraight to move up to the event’s No. 5 position all-time.
On May 31, Bolt broke the world record in the 100m, clocking 9.72 at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York. He has yet to decide which event --or perhaps both-- he will contest at the Olympic Games next month. Whichever he chooses, he will clearly start as the favorite. Bolt told post race interviewers: “I feel sure I will be very strong at the Olympic Games.”
Bolt wasn’t the only swift Jamaican in the Greek capital. Veronica Campbell-Brown powered to an overwhelming victory in the women’s 100m, clocking 10.92, the third quickest performance of the season for the reigning world champion. Despite her consistency, Campbell-Brown was not selected for the Jamaican Olympic team after finishing a disappointing fourth at the Jamaican trials late last month.
Bahamian veteran Chandra Sturrup was a distant second in 11.14.
Yeimar Garcia confirmed his form from the Madrid Super Grand Prix, powering to a 1:44.08 victory in the 800m. Leading at 600m when the pacesetter stepped off the track, Garcia confidently cruised through the final straight, looking to his side several times where he found no one challenging. Ugandan national record holder Abraham Chepkirwok was second in 1:44.26, and Kenyan Boaz Lalang third in 1:44.68, a career best.
For the second time in three days, Dayron Robles dominated the field in the 110m hurdles, this time clocking 13.04 to win handily from American David Payne (13.27). Robles lowered the world record to 12.87 last month in Ostrava, Czech Republic, and will be a gold medal favorite in Beijing next month. But Robles, who failed to make it from the first round at the world indoor championships last March, is taking nothing for granted as the Olympics approach.
“My coach says I will win in Beijing,” he told organizers. “I say I must qualify for the final first of all and then we shall see what’s going to happen.”
Reigning Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi had little difficulty in the steeplechase, winning in 8:09.25. But the bigger story here was the return to competition of the event’s world record holder, Saif Saaeed Shaheen, in his first steeple contest since winning the IAAF World Cup on this same track in September 2006. But perhaps still ailing or simply out of gas, Shaheen dropped out of the race with three laps to go, to put an abrupt end to his 24 race win streak in the event.
With a strong homestretch drive, L.J. van Zyl of South Africa nabbed an impressive victory in the 400m hurdles, clocking a season's best 48.22, well ahead of Jamaican Danny McFarlane's 48.67.
Switching gears in mid race, World championships silver medallist Derrick Atkins won the 100m in 10.10, edging Beijing-bound American Darvis Patton (10.14). After a quick start, African record holder Olu Fasuba faded in the second half and finished fifth in 10.27.
In her outdoor debut over the distance, world champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain won the 1500m in 4:00.67, nearly a second ahead of Ukrainian Irina Lishchynska (4:01.61). U.S. champion Sanya Richards cruised to a comfortable 49.86 win in the 400m, her quickest of the season, while Cuban Zuliya Calatayud, the 2005 world 800m champion, won her specialty in 1:59.26.
The leading performance on the infield was produced by Stefan Holm. Returning the venue where he captured Olympic high jump gold four years ago, the Swede produced a world-leading 2.37m leap. Greek Louis Tsatoumas won the long jump with his first round 8.44m jump to move up to the No.3 spot this season. American record holder Brad Walker won the pole vault with a 5.90m clearance and Nelson Evora of Portugal, the reigning world triple jump champion, reached a season’s best 17.23m to take the victory.
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