Bolt lights up world championships

Written by: on 4th September 2011
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Sprint star Usain Bolt rebounded from his 100 metres disqualification to scorch to 200 metres gold at the world athletics championships last night, while Asbel Kiprop won a first-ever men’s 1500 metres world title for Kenya.

The 25-year-old Jamaican defending champion and world record holder crushed the field, winning in the fourth fastest time ever run – 19.40sec.

Only Bolt, twice, and American track legend Michael Johnson have run faster.

He may have been slowest off the blocks, but Bolt wasted no time in making up ground on American Walter Dix outside him.

Coming into the home stretch, Bolt, teeth clenched and muscular arms pumping, gave one glance across the lanes and then pinned his eyes on the trackside clock at the finish and went for it.

“I feel great. I’m still the best,” said Bolt, who was disqualified from the 100 metres final for a false start.

“After the false start on Sunday, I was extremely disappointed not to have given myself the chance to defend my 100 metres title.

“The 200 metres represented a great opportunity for me to put it behind me and move on, and I’ve been determined to do so all week.”

Dix claimed silver in a season’s best 19.70 seconds with Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre coming through strong at the end to take bronze in a national record 19.80 seconds.

“I wanted to bring the USA the gold but it wasn’t to be, I had to console myself with silver. He was just too strong,” Dix said of Bolt.

Earlier in the evening, a masterclass in middle-distance running saw Kiprop add the world 1500 metres title to his Olympic crown.

The 22-year-old Kenyan stood firm in the sprint for home, compatriot Silas Kiplagat taking silver and American Matthew Centrowitz bronze.

Remarkably, it was the first time a Kenyan has won the event at the world championships, although Kenyan-born Bahraini Yusuf Kamel and American Bernard Lagat (2007) are holders of the last two world titles.

“It makes me happy to be the first Kenyan to win the 1500 metres,” said Kiprop. “Running with Kiplagat and others gives me motivation to run next year in the London Olympics.”

Asbel and Kiplagat’s medal showings further confirmed the east African country’s status as the dominant nation in middle distance and long distance running.

“I’m happy with the medal haul,” said Kiprop. “We’ve been trying to balance up the medals table, to win the same amount as the girls!”

There was, however, heartbreak for two defending champions, Blanka Vlasic of Croatia and Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen.

Injury-hit Vlasic was denied a unique title hat-trick when Russian Anna Chicherova won the high jump on countback (2.03 metres).

And Thorkildsen was pushed into silver spot by Matthias de Zordo in the men’s javelin, the German tyro nailing 86.27 metres.

After winning silver in the 400 metres and bronze in the 200 metres, Allyson Felix eventually got a gold running the second leg of the US women’s triumphant 4×400 metres relay team.


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