JAMAICAN SPRINT SUPERSTAR Usain Bolt scorched to victory in 19.79 seconds in the 200m at the Oslo Diamond League meet to banish memories of his loss to Justin Gatlin in Rome last week.
Bolt’s first outing over his favoured event this season was disrupted with a false start by Churandy Martina, the Dutchman running in the lane outside the Jamaican disqualified.
With the temperature hovering around a chilly 13 degrees Celsius, Bolt made an explosive start on the second time of asking and was up on Sweden’s Nil de Oliveira in the outside lane within 10 paces.
As he rounded the bend, Norway’s Jaysuma Saidy Ndure briefly threatened from lane five, but teeth clenched and at full tilt, Bolt destroyed the field in the final 40 metres to set a new meeting record and fastest 200m time of the year so far.
Irish interests
Meanwhile in Oslo, Irish athlete Laura Crowe set a personal best as she finished seventh in the Women’s 800m. The Kerry middle-distance runner improved her previous PB by a shade under two seconds in the event that was won by Yekatrina Poistogova of Russia.
Earlier today Athletics Ireland announced that David Gillick and Joanne Cuddihy had been named respective men’s and women’s captains for Ireland at the European Athletics Team Championships at Santry, Dublin on 22/23 June.
Ireland. with 50 athletes competing, will take on countries such as Holland, Portugal and Sweden as they look to maintain their position in the European 1st League.
- Aditional reporting © AFP, 2013