Jamaica sprinter Usain Bolt (centre), Carvin Nkanata of Kenya, (right) and Isiah Young of the United States compete during the 200m at the IAAF World Challenge Zlata Tretra (Golden Spike) athletics tournament in Ostrava yesterday. (PHOTO: AFP)
DOUBLE world record holder Usain Bolt and former world record holder Asafa Powell produced wins in the 200m and 100m, respectively, at yesterday’s 54th Ostrava Golden Spike, IAAF World Challenge meeting in cold and rainy conditions at the newly refurbished Mestsky Stadium.
Bolt clocked a season’s best 20.13 seconds (0.6m/s) to win the seconds (-0.4m/s) for the 100m, both coming from behind to win going away. Olympic silver medalist Kerron Stewart was second in the women’s 200m in 23.43 seconds (0.0m/s), beaten by American ChaRonda Williams, who clocked 23.11 seconds, while another Jamaican, Sherone Simpson, was fourth in 23.56 seconds. Bolt, who is due to run another 200m in New York on June 13, said conditions were colder than he expected even though “it always rains when I come to Ostrava”.
He fueled speculations that he could compete at the JAAA National Senior Trials in late-June when he said in post-race interviews: “I need to run into shape and work on my technique,” adding that he would get better with more races. Bolt said he had wanted to go under the 20-second barrier but “the conditions didn’t allow and I’m coming back from an injury, so it’s going to take time”. “For me it was not a perfect day, but I’m just happy to have gotten out at least injury-free,” he said.
“The longer you stay in the cold the more you worry about getting injured, so my reaction was slow because I didn’t really want to stress too much getting out of the blocks. “It was different but it was just a strategy because of the cold.” After two recalls at the start line Bolt got off to a slow start but caught the fast-starting American Isiah Young just before they came off the curve, pulling up to his left shoulder, before easing away, rolling his shoulders in the straightway. Bolt’s time beat the 20.20 seconds he ran earlier this season and makes him the fourth best in the world so far, trailing American Dedric Dukes’ 19.99 seconds, Canada’s Andre DeGrasse with 20.03 seconds and South Africa’s Anaso Jobodwanna with 20.06 seconds.
Young was second in 20.35 Likoúrgos-Stéfanos Tsákonas taking third in 20.62 seconds, both season’s bests. Bolt said he was feeling better ahead of Diamond League meets in New York and Paris. “Everything is going smooth, it’s all about now coming out there and executing in the races — the more I run the better I feel and the faster I can go,” he said. “Hopefully in New York (there will be) better conditions and I can push myself. “I have four or five more (meets) to go before the championships, so I have a lot of running to do. “We’re just working on technique right now, we will analyse everything and they will tell me what I need to work on.” Asked how sure he was of getting back into his former shape, Bolt said: “A hundred per cent, man. If my coach is not worried, I’m not worried.”
Meanwhile, Powell highstepped his way through the tape, running into a slight head wind, but once again Young had to settle for second, in another season’s best 10.13 seconds with Great Britain’s Richard Kilty third in 10.31 seconds. “I felt very good and the time in these weather conditions is not that bad after all,” Powell said. Edino Steele was sixth in the seldom run 300m in 33.08 seconds that was won by Poland’s Karol Zalewski in 32.25 seconds.
There was drama, however, for David Rudisha, the reigning Olympic 800m champion and world record holder over the two-lap event. The Kenyan limped off the track midway through a rarely run race over 600m, holding his right thigh. “Very unfortunate that I pulled my muscle just after 100m. But it’s not a very serious injury, thank you all for your support,” he said on Twitter. Ethiopia’s Dejen Gebremeskel, the Olympic runner-up from London 2012, won the 5,000 metres in 13min 23.72sec.
Reigning world champion Bogdan Bondarenko of Ukraine claimed the high jump with a best of 2.24 metres and Olympic champion Christian Taylor of the USA dominated the triple jump competition with 17.52 metres. Brazilian youngster Thiago Braz took the pole vault honours with 5.75 metres, Kenya’s Julius Yego took the javelin gold with a national record of 86.88 metres, while Serbia’s Asmir Kolasinac won the shot put with 20.51 metres.
Ukraine’s Anna Mishchenko earned the 1,500 metres honours in 4min 07.09sec. US hurdler Sharika Nelvis dominated the 100m hurdles in 12.56 seconds and reigning world champion Zuzana Hejnova pleased the home crowd by winning the 400m hurdles in 55.13 seconds. Israel’s Marharyta Dorozhon won women’s javelin with a national record of 63.85 metres, stunning 2011 world champion Mariya Abakumova and 2008 and 2012 Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova.
The Ostrava meeting is not part of the elite Diamond League series but has recently become a highly popular meet for top athletes. — Paul Reid/AFP