Bolt eases to victory, Harrison hurdles to glory

Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt promised he will be physically ready for next month’s Rio Olympics -- on the night Kendra Harrison broke the 28-year-old 100 metres hurdles world record.

Bolt, running at the track where he achieved the individual Olympic sprint double and the 4x100m relay for the second time four years ago in London, was the star attraction on day one of the Anniversary Games in front of 40,000 people at the Olympic stadium and he did not disappoint in the men’s 200m.

Brushing aside any concerns about the hamstring injury which forced him to withdraw from his country’s Olympic trials in Kingston earlier this month, Bolt ran a solid time of 19.89sec in his first competitive 200m of this season. Panama’s Alonso Edward ran a season’s best of 20.04sec while Britain’s Adam Gemili produced a 2016 best of 20.07sec.

Bolt, who remains undefeated in this stadium in East London, is confident he can iron out any glitches with his cornering in his favourite discipline. “I’m getting there. I am not fully in shape,” said the 29-year-old. “I need more work, but over time I will get there. I thought the cornering wasn’t perfect. 

But I am feeling good. “At least I came here, ran the race and had no injuries. I am ready to defend my Olympic titles. The main thing is I am injury free. I always love competing here. It’s always a great fun at this stadium.”