Usain Bolt's final surge secures victory in Rome (© Giancarlo Colombo)
World record holder Usain Bolt despite a very poor start came through his first competition for nine months when winning over 100 metres at the Compeed Golden Gala, the third stop on the Samsung Diamond League series in Rome tonight (26).
The world's fastest man despite being the third last sprinter in the nine man field to emerge from his blocks, quickly regained his posture to speed down the track of the 1960 Olympic Stadium and win in a time of 9.91 seconds (+0.6sec wind).
At one stage it looked as if the reigning World and Olympic gold medallist would come a cropper as Asafa Powell, the man who preceded him as World record holder, opened what looked like a winning gap.
But Bolt, 15 metres from the finishing line, suddenly turned on the gas and with an electrifying burst got alongside his fellow Jamaican and then passed him.
Powell, seemingly gasping for breath close to the finish line, clocked a season's best of 9.93sec, as did France's European champion Christophe Lemaitre who ran 10 seconds dead for third.
Bolt's late surge brought him home just 0.02sec away from the current 9.98 world season lead held by Steve Mullings, another athlete from his country's highly talented pack of sprinters.
"I got through my first race I was so nervous," said a very relieved Bolt. "I got a bad start and then kind of started to panic."
Fortunately on the credit side Bolt showed no signs of the Achilles or back injury which caused him to abandon his season as a precautionary measure after his defeat at the hands of Gay in Stockholm last August.
The 24-year-old whose top priority is defending his IAAF World Championships crowns in Daegu in three months’ time, believes after a few tweaks he can attain that ambition.
"But I am getting there," he said of his pre-event intention of 'getting back into business'. "My coach will analyse the race - I was not proud of the race."
Bolt with a huge crowd watching his return and who thoroughly enjoyed his ‘showboat entertainment’ added: “This is my first time in Rome and I appreciated the reaction of the crowd.”
But he left the stadium a relieved man after only catching Powell with his last gasp attack. "Well I guess for him it was different because he had already started his season," Bolt said. "He was already IN the season. Unlike me."
Felix supreme at 400; it was “tough” for Richards-Ross
The Rome meeting was always going to be highlighted by the appearance of Bolt in his sprint engagement but elsewhere the 47,732 spectators had plenty to cheer also.
Sanya Richards-Ross's return to one of her favourite venues and her decision to take on many of the world's best 400m runners clearly shows she is trying to run herself into form after her absence through injury.
As expected she didn't get onto the podium but no one could quibble with her performance and fifth place in a time of 50.98 on a comeback at this high level.
Ahead of the reigning World 400m champion fellow American Allyson Felix scored a one lap victory made even more memorable by her producing the first sub-50sec performance of the year and lowering her world lead to 49.81.
Felix was always in control against a stacked field and after she put her foot onto the accelerator 150m from the line there was only going to be one winner.
The 25-year-old reigning Diamond Race champion effortlessly navigated the first half of the race before increasing the tempo to come off the final bend well clear of her rivals.
Commonwealth champion Amantle Montsho matched the second place she claimed behind Felix in Doha at the beginning of the month with a time of 50.47, while US indoor record holder Francenca McCorory was a surprise third in 50.70.
Knight impresses in the 200
Around 45 minutes later Felix and Richards Ross were back on the Olympic Stadium track for the 200m but clearly their legs were still weary from the earlier encounter.
That saw them unable to cope with the speed of fellow countrywoman Bianca Knight, who holds the World junior best and sped to victory in a season's best 22.64.
The 22-year-old was followed across the line by Jamaica's Olympic and World 100m silver medallist Kerron Stewart who was 0.10sec in arrears, with veteran Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie of the Bahamas third in 22.76.
Then came world leader Felix who posted a mark of 22.81 with Richards-Ross trying to track her down, producing a season's fastest of 22.88.
"I enjoyed being back," said Richards. "But I would have liked to come back stronger. It was tough. Hopefully after four or five races I will be back in my full shape. I guess I need more time to be ready."
Plenty more world leads
Apart from Felix there were other world season leading performances from 5000m winner Imane Merga, Renaud Lavillenie in the Pole Vault, triple jumper Phillips Idowu, Maryam Yusuf Jamal over 1500m, 3000m steeplechaser Milcah Chemos, and Mariya Abakumova in the Javelin Throw.
“Motivated Merga”
Reigning Diamond Race 5000m champion Imane Merga retained his Compeed Golden Gala crown when using his powerful finishing speed to win in 12:54.21. On the final circuit the Ethiopian confidently contained the threat of his fellow African rivals to score a close victory ahead of Isaiah Koech and Vincent Chepkok.
Koech still only 17, finished narrowly behind Merga in an outstanding personal best of 12:54.59, while Chepkok who did much of the pace-making in the latter stages clocked 12:55.99.
"The race went exactly as I wanted with a not very fast start but a strong finish" said Merga now looking towards the summer's World Championships. "Of course I am motivated and can fight for the World medals."
Revenge for Lavillenie
Lavillenie not only atoned for the defeat at the hands of Maite Mohr, who relegated him to fourth place in the opening Samsung Diamond League meeting in Doha (6 May) but added a centimetre to the German's winning performance there of 5.81m.
Mohr was lucky not to exit the competition with the bar at 5.72m and then after his French rival sailed over 5.82m which he failed with his first attempt, opted to attempt 5.87m. Both efforts were unsuccessful and he had to settle for runner-up on this occasion, with Ukrainian Maksym Mazuruk third with a best effort of 5.62m.
"The competition went well and I achieved a world lead and I am in good preparation for the Diamond League," said Lavillenie. "My goal was to win here and to show a good performance.
"At 5.72m my legs felt very tired. But I still made it and then the 5.82m was a good jump."
Idowu ahead throughout
Reigning World champion Phillips Idowu led throughout his Triple Jump contest opening with 17.25m and progressing to his best of 17.59m in the third round which was 10cm further than his arch rival Teddy Tamgho of France had cleared to win in Doha.
2004 Olympic champion Christian Olsson also produced his season’s best effort of 17.29m, while Cuba's Alexis Copello, who took World bronze behind Idowu in Berlin 21 months ago, landed 17.14m with his final effort for third.
Jamal keeps it tactically tight
Bahrain’s two-time World champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal ran a tightly controlled race to open her 2011 campaign with a fully deserved 1500m victory in a world leading time of 4:01.60. Jamal who set the Rome meet record of 3:56.55 two years ago, was happy to sit amongst the pack as they were tightly towed through 400m and 800m in 63.93 and 2:09:76.
USA’s Christin Wurth-Thomas attempted to introduce some additional pace going through 1200m in 3:16.41 but a pack of six were sitting on her back until Jamal made her move with 250m remaining.
The 26-year-old Bahrain athlete who was born in Ethiopia, maintaining her injection of speed, held off the challenges of Meskerem Assefa who lowered her PB to 4:02.12 and her fellow Ethiopian Gelete Burka who finished in 4:03.28.
"For the first race it is not bad, it is really good," said Jamal. "My technique was to stay behind the other athletes - I do not like to push, especially as this was my first race of the season."
Chemos wins comfortably; Adamu sets World Junior record
Chemos always looking comfortable claimed another four valuable points for her tally when adding to her Doha success with another 3000m steeplechase win.
Chemos lowered her world leading time for the year to 9:12.89, while behind her Sofia Assefa set an Ethiopian record of 9:15.04 with Tunisia's Habiba Ghribi third in a season's best 9:20.33.
After following pacemaker and fellow Kenyan Lydiah Chepkurui through the first kilometre in 3:01:47, Chemos took over the lead when her compatriot dropped out with 3 1/2 laps remaining. The 25-year-old World Championships bronze medallist, who only became a steeplechaser four months before that 2009 achievement in Berlin, then gradually wound the pace up going through 2km in 6:10.53.
Assefa and Ghribi were still contenders at the bell, but Chemos last year's Diamond Race champion, increased her momentum to score another important win.
In fourth place came Ethiopia’s Birtukan Adamu in 9:20.37, a time which subject to official ratification will be a new World Junior record, improving the 9:22.51 time of her compatriot Almaz Ayana set in Brussels on 5 October 2010.
Abakamova continues good vein of form
Olympic silver medallist Mariya Abakamova increasing the world lead of 65.12m she set at the Russia Winter meeting in February won the women’s Javelin Throw competition with a fourth round attempt which was 28cm further than her throw in Adler.
Abakamova, after taking the lead in the opening round with 63.52m, then saw herself overtaken by two-time World silver medallist Christine Obergfoll with a 63.97m mark in round three. Then came the 25-year-old Russian's winner's big one to thwart her German rival, with 2010 Diamond Race winner Barbora Spotakova who won in Rome a year ago, in third after throwing 63.32m with her last attempt.
"I wanted to win," said Abakumova who set a European record in the Beijing Olympic final but was overtaken by Spotakova with her last throw. "But I did not know what to expect from the beginning of my season. The result is good and I hope I can improve."
Vlasic has a base on which to work
The World Athlete of the Year Blanka Vlasic, scoring her fifth victory in six years in the Italian capital, kept a clean jumping sheet until needing a second attempt to get over her winning height and then having three failures at 2.00m.
Behind her four athletes cleared 1.92m, Commonwealth bronze medallist Levern Spencer of St Lucia taking second from Melanie Melfort of France on count-back.
"This season is different and is going to be quite long," said the reigning World indoor and outdoor champion. "I feel in great shape but sometimes even if you feel good, you cannot see it in competition. It is just a measure of time when the technique stabilises. There is still enough to work on and I hope to manage to jump over two metres again and again."
Surprise victory for Robinson
Elsewhere Khadevis Robinson was a surprise winner of the 800 when taking the initiative coming off the final bend to win in his fastest time of the year, 1:45.09. The 34-year-old four-times USA outdoor champion confidently maintained his stride pattern down the home straight as first Mohammed Alazemi and reigning World champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi tried to get past him.
Alazemi from Kuwait seemed to have the runner-up spot tied down until Mulaudzi produced a powerful dip to take second by 0.02sec in 1:45.50.
Van Zyl looking every step a potential World champion
LJ Van Zyl kept his season's unbeaten record with another powerful 400m Hurdles victory to score a second successive Samsung Diamond League victory.
The South African who set a world lead of 47.66 at altitude in Pretoria again held more ammunition than his major rivals as he stormed to victory in an excellent time of 47.91. The 25-year-old former Commonwealth Games gold medallist's latest sub-48sec performance saw him power off the final bend to win ahead of Dai Greene and Angelo Taylor.
Greene, the European champion, will have been delighted in his first race of the summer with his time of 48.24, while two-time and reigning Olympic gold medallist Angelo Taylor set a season's best of 48.66 for third.
Armstrong also remains in the groove
Canadian Shot Put champion Dylan Armstrong maintained his focus to add another Diamond Race victory to his credentials following his win at the opening meet in Doha at the beginning of the month.
Armstrong again denied the normally dominant American squad of contenders as he clinched victory with a fifth round effort of 21.60m. The 30-year-old reigning Commonwealth title holder's distance was only 12cm shy of the national record he set in La Jolla two months ago, and was good enough to squash the ambitions of his rivals.
Poland's Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski's final round and season's best put of 21.20m saw him finish runner-up, while USA’s Reese Hoffa, the 2007 World champion, had a 21.13m effort in the same round which gained him third spot.
Harper powers to victory; Jones DNF
Lolo Jones was looking good to score her first important win of the season before smashing into the seventh barrier. Jones was matching Olympic champion Dawn Harper when the incident occurred and after running through the eighth obstacle called it a day and did not finish.
That saw Harper on her outside in lane five, power to victory in her season's fastest of 12.70, to thwart the threats of fellow American's Kellie Wells and Danielle Carruthers.
Wells, who won in Doha, clocked a time of 12.73 while Carruthers, who was runner up on that occasion, took third recording 12.80.
Reese heads off Jimoh
Brittney Reese opened the defence of her Diamond Race Long Jump campaign with an exciting victory ahead of fellow American Funmi Jimoh and and Eloyse Lesuer.
The World champion set the standard with a season's best opening jump of 6.84m ahead of Great Britain's Shara Proctor (6.62m) and France's Leseur who cleared 6.53m. However the next round saw Jimoh take the lead with 6.87m, just a centimetre shy of her season's best, with Leseur improving to 6.64m and remaining third.
Reese, the reigning World champion indoors and out, produced a magnificent third round effort well beyond seven metres but it was red flagged as a no jump but with the next she leapt 6.94m, the second furthest in the world this year, to thwart the threat of Jimoh, who lost her unbeaten outdoor record, and Leseur, who improved from her fifth position from Doha.
Perkovic secures another victory over Barrios
World leader Sandra Perkovic scored a second successive Diamond Race Discus Throw victory when producing the third best throw of her season with an effort of 65.56m in the second round.
Perkovic, whose world lead of 67.96m in February, was the world's furthest throw for four years led in the first round with an effort of 64.04m. Cuba's Yarelis Barrios last year's Diamond Race winner, opened with a best of only 53.33m but after no throwing in Shanghai that timid effort was a bonus.
Cuba’s Olympic and World silver medallist then quickly got into full swing taking the lead with a throw of 64.18m - just a centimetre of her season's best - but Croatia's Perkovic quickly responded to clinch victory from her arch rival who did not improve further. Germany's Nadine Muller was next best with a third round effort of 63.17m.
Perkovic, 20, the youngest ever European champion, said: "65.56 was enough for victory here but I can definitely throw even further. I felt in shape - I had some problems with my back at the beginning of the season but it is already fixed."
Perkovic looking to the future boldly added: "I see myself as the Olympic winner and that pushes me on and on."
Howe keeps the Romans happy
In the additional events at the meeting Andrew Howe scored a home victory in the 200m in 20.31, while World Indoor champion Chris Brown won the 400m in a season's best 45.16. Canada (38.65) took the 4x100m relay ahead of Italy (38.89) and Germany (39.09).
Dave Martin for the Samsung Diamond League
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