Bolt fires Gay aside as Dibaba shines in Paris

<div>Usain Bolt fired out a warning to American arch-rival Tyson Gay by scorching to a world-leading <span style="font-size: 11px;">time of 19.73 seconds in 200m at the Paris Diamond League meet. The 26-year-old Jamaican, a </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">two-time Olympic and world champion over the distance, held off the attentions of compatriot </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">Warren Weir on Saturday to streak past the field in emphatic style.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Edging Gay’s season best by one-hundredth of a second was the perfect broadside in the run-up <span style="font-size: 11px;">to what promises to be a keenly contested World Athletics Championships in Moscow between 10-18 </span></div><div>August.</div><div><br></div><div>‘All is building up towards a great world championships, you will see a big show there, it will <span style="font-size: 11px;">be the climax. And I want to be ready for that,’ warned Bolt. </span></div><div><br></div><div>In perfect conditions with temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius (81F), Bolt led a host of <span style="font-size: 11px;">impressive performances from a stellar line-up on the track and in the field. Grenada’s Olympic </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">and world 400m champion Kirani James ran a seemingly effortless world leading time of 43.96sec, </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">holding off a late surge from American LaShawn Merritt, the man who previously held both </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">titles.</span></div><div><br></div><div>James, who became Grenada’s first Olympic medallist in any sport in London, said it was <span style="font-size: 11px;">impossible to nail down one thing as essential for winning gold in Moscow. ‘Weather, shape, </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">conditions, all that will play a role and there will be seven other guys in the final,’ he </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">said.</span></div><div><br></div><div>‘You always need to pay attention to runners like LaShawn, if he were far too ahead, it’d be <span style="font-size: 11px;">tough to catch and beat him,’ he added. </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">Ethiopian long-distance superstar Tirunesh Dibaba flew to a meeting record of 14:23.68 in </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">women’s 5000m, the seventh fastest of all time behind her own world record. Dibaba, twice </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">Olympic and world champion, had compatriot Almaz Ayana for company with 800m to go, but she was </span><span style="font-size: 11px;">never in danger as she sprinted home. </span></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>