'I love them'

Bolt expresses passion for Jamaican fans after comfortable Diamond League debut

SHANGHAI, China (CMC):  Usain Bolt marked his debut in the IAAF Diamond League yesterday with another comfortable victory in the men's 200 metres at the Olympic Football Stadium here.

The Jamaica sprint sensation jogged to a new meet record of 19.76 seconds, pulling away from the field in the final 60 metres, after coming into the home straight with a conservative lead of no more than five metres.

"It was good, but it was kind of windy," Bolt said. "It was a good run, the feeling was good, but it was not easy. I am not in the best shape, but I enjoyed it, and I look forward to the next race.

"I really wanted a good time because I do not come to China very often. Coming out of the curve, I was smiling and I thought, "Oh my goodness!'."

He added: "I was surprised to see a lot of Jamaicans here, but it was good. I love them. Wherever I go, it would not be the same without them."

Bolt crossed the line in relaxed fashion, but his time was still two-tenths of a second slower than his run at the Jamaica Invitational meet earlier this month.

Angelo Taylor, the double Olympic 400m hurdles champion from the United States, took second place in a personal best of 20.34 seconds, with another American, Ryan Bailey, third in 20.43.

season's best

Marvin Anderson, another Jamaican, finished fourth in a season's best 20.48, and Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles, who was denied an Olympic silver behind Bolt two years ago in the Chinese city of Beijing for running outside his lane, was fifth in 20.95.

Bolt's was the only victory from an English-speaking Caribbean athlete on the programme, with compatriots Shelly-Ann Fraser and Melaine Walker, two reigning Olympic and World champions, being dismissed in their events.

Fraser finished a credible second in the women's 100 dash with a time of 11.29 secs, and veteran Bahamian Chandra Sturrup was third in 11.38, but American Carmelita Jeter continued her impressive early-season winning form to clock 11.09.

challenged

Jeter was initially challenged by compatriot Me'Lisa Barber, but Fraser and Sturrup offered a stiff challenge before the American increased her pace at the halfway point to power into a clear lead.

Jeter was still short of her meet record of 10.64 set last September, which made her the world's second-fastest woman ever, behind late fellow American Florence Griffith-Joyner.

Walker visibly ran out of steam in the home straight to finish fifth in the women's 400 hurdles, with American Lashinda Demus storming to a world-leading time and meet record of 53.34.

Demus led from start to finish, as the rest of the field wilted in the home straight and she accelerated even harder toward the finish line for an easy victory.

Demus easily smashed her three-week-old World-leading mark of 54.09 and deprived Russia's Yevgeniya Isakova of her 2006 meet record.

Russia's Natalya Antyukh, an Olympic bronze medalist, finished second in 54.83, and Polish record-holder Anna Jesien prevailed in a desperate race for third in 55.12.

Apart from Bolt, Fraser, and Sturrup, there was only one other podium finish for the English-speaking Caribbean.

Middle-distance runner Kenia Sinclair failed to transport her winning form from South Korea, three days earlier, and had to settle for third, with a time of two minutes, 01.87 seconds in the women's 800.

The Jamaican has the world-leading time for the year, but former world champion Janeth Jepkosgei made a successful start to her season, when she outran British rival Jenny Meadows and Sinclair to score a solid victory in a time of 2: 01.06 secs, and prove again she is a strong finisher.

She covered the first lap in 59.94 and waited for her two main rivals to attack on the final lap.

Jepkosgei and Sinclair were then tracked by the smaller Meadows from around the 200 mark, with the pace gradually increasing into the bend.

The Kenyan, however, maintained her momentum coming into the home straight with Meadows fighting successfully to pass Sinclair in the final 30m for second place in 2:01.34.