Report27 Aug 2011


Men's 100m - Heats - Bolt cool, calm and quick

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A portrait of defending champion Usain Bolt before Round One of the men's 100m (© Getty Images)

Usain Bolt didn’t actually check how his hair was looking as he secured a place in tomorrow’s 100 metres semi-finals. But he could have done as he got cleanly away and shut down with half the race remaining before sauntering over the line in 10.10sec – the fastest time of the round.


His was, as expected, the most impressive performance of an evening’s racing in which, thankfully, all the remaining major players remained in the game. But Asafa Powell, deprived by a groin injury of the chance to show that this time, finally, he could beat his friend and compatriot, was sadly missed.


The defending champion was already in action before his heat, striding halfway down the track in practice before strolling back, his image above him on the giant screen, pausing to cock his head to one side as if checking how he was appearing, smoothing a newish growth of beard with his hands to draw a ripple of laughter.


Contact made. But the crowd had to be hushed as the runners came to their blocks.


Bolt got out of his blocks as efficiently as he can given his height, and was ahead after four strides. Game over – and the rest became a game.

Back in the race, Britain’s Dwain Chambers, running in lane eight, came through for second place in 10.28, one position ahead of Angel David Rodriguez of Spain, who clocked 10.37.


All three of Bolt’s Jamaican colleagues progressed with victories, and his training partner Yohan Blake looked the most impressive as he clocked 10.12, the second fastest time of the night, into a 1.3mps headwind, which was 0.6mps stronger than the one Bolt faced.


Nesta Carter, with a best of 9.90 this season, looked similarly unfussed as he won his heat in 10.26, finishing clear of Daniel Bailey, second in 10.34, and Michael Frater – called into the individual event to replace Powell – won his final heat in 10.26.


Unexpectedly, Kim Collins, the 35-year-old World champion of eight years ago, pushed his popular name into the frame as he won his heat in 10.13, the third best time of the night. And into a 1.7mps headwind too.


The little man from St Kitts and Nevis finished well clear of Trell Kimmons of the United States, second in 10.32, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Olympic silver medallist Richard Thomson, who earned the third automatic qualifying place in 10.34. Collins’s trademark wide smile was in place before he crossed the line.


Walter Dix of the United States, not known for his smiles but also hoping to be in the mix for medals, won his heat easily, making a point of peering around him as he pattered across the line in 10.25. Easy. Britain’s former IAAF World Youth and Junior champion Harry Aikines-Aryeetey looked in decent form too as he took second place in 10.28.


Christophe Lemaitre looked pleasantly surprised by the ease of his victory in the third heat over a field which included the 2004 Olympic and 2005 World champion Justin Gatlin, back on the track after serving a four-year doping ban.


France’s European champion was able to relax well before the line, which he crossed in 10.14 with his tongue rolling as if to signify the ease of the performance.


Gatlin was second in 10.31, with Churandy Martina of the Netherlands clocking 10.32 in third place, 0.02sec ahead of Britain’s Marlon Devonish, seeking international medal number 21 at the age of 35. The chance is still there for Devonish, who was one of the three fastest extra qualifiers.


Mike Rowbottom for the IAAF


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