 BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Usain Bolt rallied against cold, wind and Asafa Powell to win the 100 meters in 9.77 seconds Friday at the Van Damme Memorial.
Running against a strong headwind in his season finale, the three-time Olympic champion had a bad start and watched Powell go ahead. But Bolt pulled even with Powell and used his long strides to finish 0.08 off the world record he set at the Beijing Games.
It was the fastest run into a headwind, and matched the sixth-fastest time in history despite the chilly temperature of 59 degrees.
Powell, the only runner to defeat Bolt this season, finished second in 9.83. Nesta Carter made it a Jamaican sweep in 10.07.
"Asafa is a really fast guy," Bolt said. "I'm getting used to chasing him."
Powell joined Bolt in the celebrations around the track after the race, cheered by the sellout crowd of 47,000 at the King Baudouin Stadium.  Pamela Jelimo won the Golden League's $1 million jackpot, capturing her sixth straight 800 meters in meet-record time. High jumper Blanka Vlasic of Croatia lost for the first time in the series, ensuring Jelimo did not have to split the prize.
The 18-year-old Jelimo finished in 1:55.16, almost four seconds ahead of world champion and fellow Kenyan Janeth Jepkosgei. Vlasic finished second to Ariane Friedrich of Germany.
Bolt said he was concerned about the cold weather. He seemed frozen at the start, last out of the blocks.
Once Powell saw him next to him, he knew he was done.  "I came out to run fast. Usain really put on the pressure," Powell said of Bolt, who won golds and set world records in the 100, 200 and 400-meter relay in Beijing.
While Bolt said goodbye for the season, it was farewell for good for double European sprint champion Kim Gevaert.
Before a cheering home crowd, she easily won the 100 in 11.25 ahead of Debbie Ferguson of the Bahamas and Me'Lisa Barber of the United States. She received a minute-long standing ovation from the crowd.
Gevaert anchored the Belgian 400 relay a silver medal at the Olympics.
Paul Kipsiele Koech failed to qualify for Kenya's Olympic team, but won the 3,000 steeplechase in 8:04.99. He was five seconds ahead of countryman and Olympic gold medalist Birman Kiprop Kipruto.
With Ethiopian Olympic champion and world record-holder Kenenisa Bekele taking a break, Beijing silver medalist Eliud Kipchoge led a sweep of Kenyans in the 5,000, finishing in 13:06.12 in the rain.
In the women's 5,000, Meseret Defar sought to avenge her loss to Ethiopian teammate Tirunesh Dibaba in Beijing by recapturing the world record. Instead, Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya beat her in a sprint finish. |