ROME, June 1: Olympic champion Usain Bolt clocked a season's best of 9.76 seconds to win the 100 metres at the Rome Golden Gala Diamond League meeting on Thursday.
The Jamaican world record holder, who managed only 10.04 seconds in Ostrava last Friday, was back to his best against a world class field which included his compatriot and former world record holder Asafa Powell.
Powell, who said later he had not heard the starting gun, finished second in 9.91 while European champion Christophe Lemaitre finished strongly to take third place in 10.04 seconds.
Bolt said he had not been sleeping regularly since he arrived in Europe.
“After Ostrava I decided I will make sure to go to bed early and start eating right,” he said. “I feel extremely well, so it's coming back and I'm feeling good.
“People expect me to do well all the time and I expect that from myself also, it's not really pressure for me. I came out here tonight not to prove anything but to tell myself I've still got it.”
Ethiopian Fantu Magiso upset Kenya's Olympic champion Pamela Jelimo in the women's 800 metres in a national record of one minute 57.56 seconds.
Magiso's team-mate Abebe Aregawi also set a national record, clocking a season's best of 3:56.54 in the 1,500 metres.
Kenyan Paul Koech made a spirited attempt to break the men's world steeplechase record, setting the third fastest time ever with a time of 7:54.31.
Leading results:
Men’s:
100 metres: 1. Usain Bolt (Jamaica) 9.76 seconds; 2. Asafa Powell (Jamaica) 9.91; 3. Christophe Lemaitre (France) 10.04. 800 metres: 1. Leonard Kirwa Kosencha (Kenya) 1:44.42; 2. Marcin Lewandowski (Poland) 1:44.64; 3. Andrew Osagie (Britain) 1:44.71. 400-metre hurdles: 1. Javier Culson (Puerto Rico) 48.14 seconds; 2. Bershawn Jackson (US) 48.25; 3. Cornel Fredericks (South Africa) 49.21. 3,000-metre steeplechase: 1. Paul Kipsiele Koech (Kenya) 7:54.31; 2. Abel Kiprop Mutai (Kenya) 8:01.67; 3. Jairus Kipchoge (Kenya) 8:08.79. 4 x 100-metre relay: 1. Canada 38.63 seconds; 2. Britain 38.82; 3. Switzerland 39.08. 4 x 400-metre relay: 1. Britain 3:01.76; 2. Botswana 3:03.89; 3. Spain 3:03.89. High jump: 1. Robbie Grabarz (Britain) 2.33 metres; 2. Trevor Barry (Bahamas) 2.31, 2 equal. Jesse Williams (US) 2.31. Long jump: 1. Greg Rutherford (Britain) 8.32 metres; 2. Khotso Mokoena (South Africa) 8.20; 3. Aleksandr Menkov (Russia) 8.17. Pole vault: 1. Renaud Lavillenie (France) 5.82 metres; 2. Romain Mesnil (France) 5.72; 3. Malte Mohr (Germany) 5.72. Discus throw: 1. Ehsan Hadadi (Iran) 66.73 metres; 2. Virgilijus Alekna (Lithuania) 66.31; 3. Gerd Kanter (Estonia) 65.36. Women’s: 100 metres: 1. Murielle Ahoure (Cote D'Ivoire) 11.00 seconds; 2. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) 11.06; 3. Kerron Stewart (Jamaica) 11.10. 800 metres: 1. Fantu Magiso (Ethiopia) 1:57.56; 2. Pamela Jelimo (Kenya) 1:58.33; 3. Mariya Savinova (Russia) 1:58.56. 1,500 metres: 1. Abeba Arigawe (Ethiopia) 3:56.54; 2. Hellen Obiri (Kenya) 3:59.68; 3. Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia) 4:00.85. 5,000 metres: 1. Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya) 14: 35.62; 2. Meseret Defar (Ethiopia) 14:35.65; 3. Viola Kibiwot (Kenya) 14:39.53. 100-metre hurdles: 1. Dawn Harper (US) 12.66 seconds; 2. Kellie Wells (US) 12.67; 3. Brigitte Foster-Hylton (Jamaica) 12.78. 400-metre hurdles: 1. Kaliese Spencer (Jamaica) 54.39 seconds; 2. Lashinda Demus (US) 54.80; 3. Ti'erra Brown (US) 54.96. Triple jump: 1. Olha Saladuha (Ukraine) 14.75 metres; 2. Olga Rypakova (Kazakhstan) 14.73; 3. Caterine Ibargueen (Colombia) 14.71. Shot put: 1. Valerie Adams (New Zealand) 21.03 metres; 2. Gong Lijiao (China) 19.79; 3. Nadezhda Ostapchuk (Belarus) 19.58. Javelin throw: 1. Barbora Spotakova (Czech Republic) 68.65 metres; 2. Sunette Viljoen (South Africa) 67.95; 3. Goldie Sayers (Britain) 64.73.—Reuters