Sport

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, CMC:

Usain Bolt marked his return from a 42-day injury layoff by equalling the year's fastest time over 100 metres at the IAAF Diamond League meet yesterday.

The sprint megastar from Jamaica outsprinted his rivals easily, and clocked 9.82 seconds to equal the year's fastest time by compatriot Asafa Powell in Rome on June 10.

Bolt, the 100 and 200 World record-holder, conceded he felt a slight pain from the Achilles tendon injury that sidelined him for over a month.

"I would not say it was painful, but that it takes time to heal," he said.

"I was feeling extremely nice and good. It's getting better, and the weather was warm, so it was good."

Season's best

Compatriot Yohan Blake finished second in a personal season's best time of 9.96 seconds, and Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles ran 10.16 to place third, with Jamaican Ainsley Waugh fifth in 10.22, and Antigua & Barbuda's Brendan Christian in 10.44.

The reigning Olympic and World 100 and 200 champion will face Powell next Friday in Paris over the same distance in one of the highlights of the Diamond League season.

"It's going to be something big," said Bolt.

No other English-speaking Caribbean athletes won their events, but they were encouraging performances for several, with Jamaicans Sherone Simpson and Shericka Williams, as well as Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles taking creditable second-place finishes.

Martina distinguished himself when he shaved three-hundredths of a second of his own Netherlands Antilles men's 200 record.

The 26-year-old clocked 20.08 to finish second behind American Walter Dix, whose time was 19.86, with Jamaican Ainsley Waugh fifth in a season-best 20.46.

Simpson clocked 11.15 in the women's 100, where American Carmelita Jeter rebounded from her defeat to Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown on home soil on the weekend to win in 10.99.

Chandra Sturrup of The Bahamas kept up appearances with a third place finish in 11.18, to be followed by compatriot Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie in 11.27, and Jamaican Sherri-Ann Brooks in 11.35.

Olympic and World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser of Jamaica did not start the race.

Williams ran a personal season-best time of 50.04 in the women's 400 to trail American Debbie Dunn (49.81).

Podium finishes

Novlene Williams-Mills also clocked a season best of 50.04 for third, and Rosemarie Whyte of Jamaica ran her best time this year of 50.67 to finish fifth.

There were two other podium finishes for English-speaking Caribbean athletes at the meet at the Stade Olympique de la Pointaise.

Jermaine Gonzales ran a lifetime best of 44.72 to take third in the men's 400, which American Jeremy Wariner won in a world-leading time of 44.57, with Trinidad & Tobago's Sportsman-of-the-Year Renny Quow seventh in 45.40.

Veteran Delloreen Ennis-London clocked 12.73, and trailed in third in the women's 100 hurdles, and Vonette Dixon, another Jamaican, was fifth in 12.91, as top Canadian Priscilla Lopes-Schliep ran her best time of the year to win in 12.56.