Usain Bolt signed off another season where he dominated men’s sprinting with victory in the 100m in the season-ending Diamond League meet in Brussels on Friday.
The 27-year-old Jamaican arrived in the Belgian capital fresh from winning treble gold at last month’s world championships in Moscow, a feat that took his world golden medal haul to record-equalling eight.
His seventh outing over the 100m this season, with the sole blot on his copybook a loss by one-hundredth of a second to American Justin Gatlin in Rome, posed no problems.
Bolt blasted home in 9.80sec as four others led by American Michael Rodgers clocked sub-10sec times in front of a raucous sell-out crowd at the Roi Baudouin stadium in the Belgian capital.
Gatlin, whose return to form after a four-year doping ban was further confirmed when he finished second to Bolt in Moscow, could only come in fourth after Jamaica’s Nesta Carter. “I promised a good race and, well, this was quite a good race!” beamed Bolt. “I felt much better than in Zurich (last week when he won in 9.90).
“That was also due to the crowd. They were amazing this evening and gave me energy.
“This was close to the ‘Usain Bolt fashion’, not only because this was the last race of the season but also because of the crowd.”
Bolt said he would now take a break until the end of October, doing nothing more than an odd jog and playing some football with his friends.
“The first goal for next season is to stay injury free,” he said. “My doctor warns me that I have to take care of my back because I’m getting older.”
Jamaican Warren Weir, who won silver behind Bolt in Moscow, won the 200m in 19.87sec from fast-charging teammate Nickel Ashmeade (19.93), American Walter Dix taking third in 20.12.
There was more Jamaican delight in the women’s 100m event when reigning world champion Sally-Ann Fraser-Pryce blasted out to victory in a meet record of 10.72sec.