Bolt sprints to season-best 9.76 in 100 meters at Golden Gala

Just a blur: Usain Bolt competes in the men's 100 meters during a Diamond League meet on Thursday in Rome. AFP-JIJI

ROME — World record-holder Usain Bolt put his poor performance in the Czech Republic behind him with a new season's best of 9.76 seconds in the 100-meter race at the Golden Gala on Thursday.

Bolt ran a relatively slow 10.04 in Ostrava last week, raising questions about his Olympic preparations.

His previous world lead of 9.82 was set at home in Jamaica this month.

"My drive was better and I started well," Bolt said. "The transition was also better. After Ostrava a lot of people questioned me, but I never questioned myself.

"Everyone has a bad race, you just got to go back to the drawing board."

While his start in Rome still wasn't exceptional, Bolt quickly pulled in front and broke the previous meet record of 9.77 set by Tyson Gay three years ago.

Former world record-holder Asafa Powell crossed second in 9.91 and European champion Christophe Lemaitre was third in 10.04.

There was virtually no wind.

Powell didn't hear "set" or "go" from the starter.

"I'm very upset with my race tonight. I'm not upset that I lost but that I couldn't execute like I wanted to," Powell said. "I didn't get out of the starting block like I should. I was all over the track.

"I'm not even going to complain," Powell added. "Usain ran a great race, I just have to go home, work on it and come back."

Bolt attributed his problems in Ostrava to fatigue for his first race of the season in Europe. This time, he appeared energized even two hours before his race, when he warmed up the crowd with a lap around the track on a golf cart, wearing the shirt of Italy's soccer team as he danced and posed for the cameras.

The crowd of nearly 60,000 cheered Bolt's every move.

"I appreciate a great crowd, they gave me a lot of love," Bolt said. "I feed off the crowd, so that was good."

When he came back out to run, Bolt chatted with the race worker behind his lane before he stepped into the starting blocks. After the race, he grabbed an Italian flag as he celebrated with another lap around the track that hosted the 1960 Olympics.

"Since I arrived in Rome I made sure to be in bed early. So I got a lot of rest and slept a lot," Bolt said. "In Ostrava I had not had enough sleep. This race was much better."

This was the third Diamond League meet of the year but Bolt's first.

In other events on a comfortable evening at Stadio Olimpico, Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce settled for second in the women's 100 behind Cote d'Ivoire winner Murielle Ahoure, who timed 11.00.

There was nearly a world record in the 3,000 steeplechase, with Kenya's Paul Kpisiele Koech clocking 7:54.31 for the third-fastest time ever. With Saif Saaeed Shaheen's 2004 world record of 7:53.63 seemingly in reach, Koech accelerated on the final straight but came up just short.

"I think I am capable now of running the world record," Koech said.

With world champion Dai Greene a late withdrawal due to illness, Javier Culson of Puerto Rico won the 400 hurdles in 48.14, with Olympic bronze medalist Bershawn Jackson of the United States second in 48.25.

Felix Sanchez, the 2004 Olympic champion, felt a calf muscle tighten about 30 meters from the line, stopped running, and fell to the track chest first. The Dominican Republic athlete came up with a slight limp.

"This is nothing serious," he said.

There was a surprise winner in the women's 800, with 19-year-old Fantu Megiso clocking an Ethiopian record of 1:57.56 — the second-fastest time in the world this year. Olympic champion Pamela Jelimo crossed second and world champ Mariya Savinova was third, while 2009 world champ Caster Semenya settled for eighth.

There was also an Ethiopian winner in the women's 1,500, with Abebe Aregawi winning by a large margin in 3:56.54, the best time this year.

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