Bolt wins 200, Blake sets personal best

LAUSANNE – Olympic champion Usain Bolt ran 19.58 seconds for victory in the 200 metres at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting on Thursday while Yohan Blake equalled the third fastest time ever to win the 100 in 9.69.

Saturday, August 25, 2012
Yohan Blake.

LAUSANNE – Olympic champion Usain Bolt ran 19.58 seconds for victory in the 200 metres at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting on Thursday while Yohan Blake equalled the third fastest time ever to win the 100 in 9.69.The effervescent Bolt performed the air guitar as he was presented to the crowd before predictably dominating the race, winning ahead of Dutchman Churandy Martina and as the top three all finished in under 20 seconds.Other highlights of the meeting included another win for Grenada’s teenage Olympic champion Kirani James in the 400 metres and the high jump where Qatar’s Moutaz Essa Barshim leapt 2.39 metres to defeat Olympic champion Ivan Ukhov.Bolt, who has said his main aim was to see out the season without injury, seemed as pleased with his latest stunt as he was with his performance."It’s fun, I heard the music and it just came to me, it was spontaneous,” he told BBC television.His fellow Jamaican Blake, Olympic silver medallist in the 100 and 200 metres, beat his previous best by 0.06 seconds as he destroyed a world-class field in the 100, leaving Tyson Gay and Nesta Carter trailing in his wake.Blake’s performance added to the feeling that the 22-year-old could be the one to eventually topple Bolt, who is four years his senior and beat him over both sprints at the London Games.