The Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt overcame cold-rainy conditions to streak to his new season best in winning his favoured 200 metres at the Golden Spike meeting in the Czech Republic.
Jamaican Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The 28-year-old world and Olympic champion - who also holds the world 100 and 200m records, clocked 20.13 seconds, almost a second behind his world record of 19.19sec set back in 2009.
In his only previous appearance over 200m this season, Bolt timed 20.20sec on home soil in Kingston, Jamaica, in April.
Bolt, who has won six Olympic gold medals, eight world championship titles and smashed world records several times over, is aiming to build up his form in a bid to defend his golden treble at the world championships in Beijing in August, and will now go on to race Diamond League meets in New York and Paris.
There was more Jamaican joy in the 100m, with former world record holder Asafa Powell winning in 10.04sec, a steady distance off Bolt's record of 9.58sec.
There was drama, however, for David Rudisha, the reigning Olympic 800m champion and world record holder over the two-lap event.
The Kenyan limped off the track midway through a rarely-run race over 600m, holding his right thigh.
Ethiopia's Dejen Gebremeskel, the Olympic runner-up from London 2012, won the 5,000 metres in 13min 23.72sec.
The Ostrava meeting is not part of the elite Diamond League series but has recently become a highly popular meet for top athletes.
