World and Olympic triple gold medallist Usain Bolt launched his IAAF Diamond League campaign in Shanghai on Sunday with a comfortable 200m win in 19.76 seconds.
Bolt, who holds the world record of 19.19s for 200m, was the only man to break the 20-second barrier, with American Angelo Taylor second in 20.34s followed by American Ryan Bailey in 20.43s. “It was a good run, the feeling was good but it was not easy. I am not in the best shape but enjoyed it. I look forward to the next race,” Bolt said.
Fans screamed as Chinese star Liu Xiang stepped on to the track for the men’s 110m hurdles. Liu, who complained of pain in his Achilles tendon before the race, defied his own expectations with a third-place finish of 13.40 seconds.
American David Oliver won the race with the fastest time of the season at 12.99s and China’s Shi Dongpeng was second at 13.39s.
American Carmelita Jeter continued her women’s 100m winning streak with a time of 11.09 seconds. World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser of Jamaica came second. — AFP