September 07, 2008	Sunday	Ramazan 06, 1429

BRUSSELS, Sept 6: Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt won the 100m at the Golden League meet here on Friday, beating compatriot Asafa Powell in a time of 9.77sec to bring the curtain down on his record-shattering season.

The Jamaican flyer’s winning time was well outside his world record of 9.69sec set in Beijing last month, but was enough to see off the challenge of Powell, who on a wet and windy night, could only clock 9.83.

Nesta Carter made it a Jamaican clean sweep, placing third in 10.07sec.

Powell, who beat Bolt in Stockholm in July, added: “I had an excellent start, but Usain gives up nothing.” The former world record holder, who ran the second-fastest 100m of all time in Lausanne on Tuesday, said he was already planning ahead to 2009 where winning gold at the world championships in Berlin would be a priority.

“Reclaiming the world record would be great but once you have a medal you can’t lose it.” Bolt, who lit up the Beijing Games last month winning three gold (100m, 200m and 4x100m relay) and notching up a hat-trick of new world records, will now head home for a well-earned rest.

Friday’s race should also have featured world champion Tyson Gay but the American pulled out on Thursday, opting to concentrate on his recovery from a hamstring injury

Meanwhile, Kenya’s Pamela Jelimo scooped the Golden League million dollar jackpot, after winning the 800m to record her sixth win out of six this season.

The 18-year-old Olympic champion recorded a time of 1min 55.16sec in the wet conditions at the Brussels meeting to take the prize, awarded to the athlete who wins all of their six Golden League outings. Earlier it looked as if former world junoir champion would have to share the pot with high-jumper Blanka Vlasic, but the Croatian failed to win Friday’s event.

Jelimo became the first ever Kenyan woman to win a track and field Olympic gold when she clinched the 800m final in Beijing in a world junior record of 1min 54.87secs on August 18.

Results:

Men’s

100 metres:

1. Usain Bolt (Jamaica) 9.77; 2. Asafa Powell (Jamaica) 9.83; 3. Nesta Carter (Jamaica) 10.07; 4. Michael Frater (Jamaica) 10.08; 5. Travis Padgett (U.S.) 10.15; 6. Kim Collins (St Kitts and Nevis) 10.22; 7. Churandy Martina (Netherlands Antilles) 10.24 8. Ronald Pognon (France) 10.26.

3,000-metre steeplechase:

1. Paul Kipsiele Koech (Kenya) 8:04.99; 2. Brimin Kipruto (Kenya) 8:10.26; 3. Tareq Mubarak Taher (Bahrain) 8:15.32; 4. Bouabdellah Tahri (France) 8:15.68; 5. Benjamin Kiplagat (Uganda) 8:16.78; 6. Michael Kipyego (Kenya) 8:19.66; 7. Mustafa Mohamed (Sweden) 8:20.65; 8. Collins Kosgei (Kenya) 8:24.13.

Long jump:

1. Miguel Pate (U.S.) 8.02; 2. Hussain Taher A Al Saba (Saudi Arabia) 7.96; 3. Salim Sdiri (France) 7.92; 4. Ndiss Kaba Badji (Senegal) 7.89; 5. Sebastian Bayer (Germany) 7.79; 6. Luis Felipe Meliz (Spain) 7.77; 7. Roman Novotny (Czech Republic) 7.76; 8. Michael Velter (Belgium) 7.53.

Javelin throw:

1. Tero Pitkaemaeki (Finland) 85.82; 2. Ainars Kovals (Latvia) 84.76;3. Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway) 82.39; 4. Eriks Rags (Latvia) 81.04;5. Vadims Vasilevskis (Latvia) 80.84; 6. Sergey Makarov (Russia) 78.80; 7. Teemu Wirkkala (Finland) 77.15; 8. Tom Goyvaerts (Belgium) 75.81.

Women’s:

100 metres:

1. Kim Gevaert (Belgium) 11.25; 2. Debbie Ferguson (Bahamas) 11.32; 3. Me’Lisa Barber (U.S.) 11.37; 4. Chandra Sturrup (Bahamas) 11.40; 5. Carmelita Jeter (U.S.) 11.46; 6. Stephanie Durst (U.S.) 11.49; 7. Jeanette Kwakye (Britain) 11.52; 8. Yevgeniya Polyakova (Russia) 11.58.

200 metres:

1. Marshevet Hooker (U.S.) 22.62; 2. Kerron Stewart (Jamaica) 22.76; 3. Debbie Ferguson (Bahamas) 22.79; 4. Muriel Hurtis-Houairi (France) 22.93; 5. Carmelita Jeter (U.S.) 23.24; 6. Olivia Borlee (Belgium) 23.30; 7. Christine Ohuruogu (Britain) 23.33; 8. Yuliya Gushchina (Russia) 23.43.

800 metres:

1. Pamela Jelimo (Kenya) 1:55.16; 2. Janeth Jepkosgei (Kenya) 1:58.85; 3. Kenia Sinclair (Jamaica) 1:59.11; 4. Elisa Cusma Piccione (Italy) 1:59.26; 5. Marilyn Okoro (Britain) 1:59.33; 6. Yuliya Krevsun (Ukraine) 2:01.15; 7. Yekaterina Kostetskaya (Russia) 2:01.73; 8. Jenny Meadows (Britain) 2:02.22.

5,000 metres:

1. Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya) 14:25.43; 2. Meseret Defar (Ethiopia) 14:25.52; 3. Linet Chepkwemoi Masai (Kenya) 14:52.10; 4. Meselech Melkamu (Ethiopia) 14:58.09; 5. Priscah Jepleting Cherono (Kenya) 15:01.02; 6. Sylvia Chibiwott Kibet (Kenya) 15:01.58; 7. Viola Kibiwot (Kenya) 15:01.89; 8. Grace Kwamboka Momanyi (Kenya) 15:02.10.

Pole vault:

1. Yelena Isinbayeva (Russia) 4.72; 2. Monika Pyrek (Poland) 4.56; 3. Tatyana Polnova (Russia) 4.56; 4. Yuliya Golubchikova (Russia) 4.56; 5. Carolin Hingst (Germany) 4.40; . Silke Spiegelburg (Germany) 4.40; 7. Fabiana Murer (Brazil) 4.40; . Jillian Schwartz (U.S.) 4.40.

—Agencies