Bolt strikes national record - Jamaican runs lightning-fast 19.67 in Athens »

Usain Bolt

ATHENS, Greece (CMC):

Jamaica's 100-metre world record holder Usain Bolt sped to a world-leading time and became the fifth fastest all-time over 200 metres with a 19.67-second victory at the Athens Grand Prix yesterday.

Running into a negative wind (-0.50 metres per second), Bolt mauled the field in a fabulous run to boost his stocks for an Olympic sprint double in Beijing next month.

His time was a career-best and new Jamaica record, bettering his own mark of 19.75 seconds done in Kingston just over a year ago.

"I am very satisfied with my performance," Bolt said after his win.

"The crowd helped me a lot. I feel sure I will be very strong at the Olympic Games," added the 21-year-old.

Bolt's victory was the meet's headline performance that saw a cluster of Caribbean wins, including his Jamaican teammate Veronica Campbell-Brown, Andrew Hinds of Barbados and Bahamians Derrick Atkins and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, all scoring 100-metre victories.

Bolt won the half-lap sprint a long way ahead of Antiguan Brendan Christian (20.36) and Zimbabwe's Brian Dzingai (20.45).

On the all-time list

Dominica's Chris Lloyd took fifth in 20.92 seconds and Bolt's winning time is bettered on the all-time list only by four Americans - world record holder Michael Johnson (19.32), Tyson Gay (19.62), Xavier Carter (19.63) and Wallace Spearmon (19.65).

Atkins, a World Championship silver medallist last year in Osaka, landed Race 2 of the men's 100 metres in 10.10 seconds, defeating American Darvis Patton (10.14) and Mark Jelks (10.19). Antiguan Daniel Bailey placed fifth in 10.24 seconds.

Race 1 went to Hinds in 10.27 seconds, easily topping Italian Fabio Cerutti (10.40). Jamaican Mario Forsythe placed fifth in 10.47.

Campbell-Brown clocked 10.92 seconds to win Race 2 of the women's 100 ahead of Bahamian Chandra Sturrup (11.14) and American Angela Williams (11.15). Jamaican Simone Facey was eighth in 11.32.

Fine Caribbean sprint

Ferguson-McKenzie, the Olympic 200-metre bronze medallist in Athens, added to a fine Caribbean sprint show by winning Race 2 of the women's 100 in 11.21 second, beating American Stephanie Durst (USA) 11.33.

Jamaican athletes secured three other top-three finishes, including Athens Olympics silver medallist Danny McFarlane, clocking 48.67 in the men's 400 hurdles for the runner-up spot to South African Louis van Zyl (48.22).

American Sanya Richards predictably won the women's 400 metres.

Her time was 49.86 seconds, well ahead of Jamaican Novlene Williams (50.54), with another Jamaican Shereefa Lloyd fourth in 50.89.

Kenia Sinclair clocked one minute 59.84 seconds for third in the women's 800 behind Cuban winner Zulia Calatayud (1:59.26) and French runner Elodie Guegan (1:59.68). Calatayud's victory was one of three for the Cubans, as Dayron Robles won the 110-metre hurdles in a meet record 13.04, Yeimar Lopez Garcia won the men's 800 in 1:44.07.

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