Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt continued their winning ways at the Weltklasse Zurich IAAF Diamond League meet in Switzerland on August 29. And another Jamaican woman used that venue to dip under 11 seconds in the 100m dash for the first time.
Fraser-Pryce, the recently crowned double sprint World champion, ran away with the women’s 200m in a time of 22.41 (-0.4m/s) and also took the trophy as the women’s Diamond 200m winner of the series. In copping victory, Fraser-Pryce defeated World 100m silver medalist Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast (22.66) and Mariya Ryemyen of the Ukraine, 1/100th of second behind in 22.67.
In Bolt’s case, he lined up against 100m rivals Nickel Ashmeade, Nesta Carter and Kemar Bailey-Cole (his countrymen); Americans Justin Gatlin, Mike Rodgers and Walter Dix; Jimmy Vicaut of France and Adam Gemile of Great Britain.
With Carter, the Moscow World 100m bronze medalist, and Ashmeade fastest out of the blocks and a threatening Gatlin, the World 100m silver medalist, not far behind them, Bolt was left at the back of the pack until the 50-meter mark when he stepped on the gas to overhaul the field and win in 9.90secs. He defeated Ashmeade into second place (9.94) and Gatlin, third in 9.96. Carter faded to sixth in 10.01, as Vicaut (9.98) and Rodgers (10.00) took the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.
Bailey-Cole (10.02), Gemile (10.06) and Dix (10.07) took the remaining places in that order.
But Bolt was not happy with the win, noting that it was his worst race of the season. "The longer the season goes, the worse my style gets. This race, it was really hard. I was a little sore. It's time to get home now," he told the media.
In the women's 100m, Jamaica’s World relay gold medalist Carrie Russell lowered her two-year-old personal best of 11.05 to 10.98 (0.5m/s) in defeating USA’s World 100m finalist Alexandria Anderson (11.02) and Germany's Verena Sailer (11.21). Her time has made her the eighth fastest Jamaican woman over the distance and the ninth to go below 11 seconds.
Jamaica’s Kaliese Spencer produced a season best (SB) 54.22 for second to the Czech Republic’s Zuzana Hejnova (53.32) in the women’s 400m hurdles. Spencer was disqualified from the 400m hurdles race at the World Championships for a technical infraction.
In closing out the 13th and penultimate stop in the 2013 Diamond League series, Jamaica’s Russell, Kerron Stewart, Natasha Morrison and Fraser-Pryce raced to 41.78 behind the USA in a meet and Diamond League record of 41.67 and ahead of Ukraine, third in 42.71.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Usain Bolt continued their winning ways at the Weltklasse Zurich IAAF Diamond League meet in Switzerland on August 29. And another Jamaican woman used that venue to dip under 11 seconds in the 100m dash for the first time.
Fraser-Pryce, the recently crowned double sprint World champion, ran away with the women’s 200m in a time of 22.41 (-0.4m/s) and also took the trophy as the women’s Diamond 200m winner of the series. In copping victory, Fraser-Pryce defeated World 100m silver medalist Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast (22.66) and Mariya Ryemyen of the Ukraine, 1/100th of second behind in 22.67.
In Bolt’s case, he lined up against 100m rivals Nickel Ashmeade, Nesta Carter and Kemar Bailey-Cole (his countrymen); Americans Justin Gatlin, Mike Rodgers and Walter Dix; Jimmy Vicaut of France and Adam Gemile of Great Britain.