Bolt pilots Racers home
LONDON (AP):Usain Bolt sprinted to a second victory inside 24 hours in London’s Olympic Stadium yesterday in what could be his last race in England.
Exactly a year after the start of the 2012 Summer Games, Bolt anchored a Jamaican relay team to victory in the Olympic Stadium at the London leg of the Diamond League – this year also called the Anniversary Games.
The Racers Track Club finished the 4×100 race in 37.75 seconds, a day after Bolt’s victory in the individual sprint in the London stadium where he swept three gold medals last year.
“We haven’t run a lot of relays together, but just being around each other we can understand each other and know how fast we are personally so it worked out very well,” Bolt said.
temporarily reopened
The 26-year-old Bolt led home teammates Mario Forsythe, Kemar Bailey-Cole and Warren Weir ahead of France and Canada.
“I’m the team leader and I try to keep them focused and give them wisdom,” Bolt said.
About 60,000 fans packed into the Olympic Stadium which temporarily reopened to host the Diamond League meet before closing again to be revamped into a multi-sport stadium, which will be used by Premier League team West Ham from the 2016-17 season.
“It is always beautiful and always wonderful in London, I really enjoy it here,” Bolt said. “It is just an extremely great stadium and I am happy.”
Bolt isn’t happy, though, with the country’s tax laws.
He only returned to London to compete because the British government agreed to an amnesty that allowed international athletes to compete tax-free at this meet as they did at the Olympics. Taxes are usually imposed on appearance fees and prize money for non-resident athletes in all sports when in action here.
Bolt said returning here to race “depends on what the tax laws say, if they say it’s OK, I will be here next year.”
A tax exemption is in place for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year, but Bolt is not committing to competing in the Scottish city.
And the government does not appear willing to waive its tax rules whenever it suits Bolt.
“You have to be a little bit careful about this,” Sports Minister Hugh Robertson told The Associated Press. “We have a very straightforward modus operandi with the Treasury whereby whenever we need a tax break for a particular event we make the case, they look at it and they have been very good at granting it as they were for Usain Bolt.
“You have to just realise, though, that all these decisions are taken against the backdrop of the national economy and giving and giving tax breaks to wealthy sports stars when the economy is in the state it is at the moment is something that needs careful decision on a case-by-case basis.”
only victory
The relay win was Jamaica’s only victory on the day. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, last year’s Olympic champion could only manage fourth in the 100 metres final (10.94) after clocking a world-leading and meet record 10.77 seconds in her semi-final heat.
The final was won by Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare in 10.79 from American Barbaera Pierre (10.85) and Trinidad and Tobago’s Kelly-Ann Baptiste (10.93). Jamaica’s Kerron Stewart was sixth in 11.02.
Anneisha McLaughlin (22.88) was fifth in the women’s 200 metres won in 22.41 by American Allyson Felix. while fellow Jamaicans, Christine Day (51.41) and Rosemarie Whyte (51.60) were sixth and seventh, respectively, in the women’s 400m. The event was won by Britain’s Christine Ohuruogu in 50.00 seconds.
MEN
110m Hurdles: 1. David Oliver (USA) 13.20, 2. William Sharman (GBR) 13.26, 3. Artur Noga (POL) 13.31, 4. Ryan Wilson (USA) 13.37, 5. Dwight Thomas ( JAM) 13.53.
400m hurdles: 1. Michael Tinsley (USA) 47.98, 2. Jonny Dutch (USA) 48.40, 3. Justin Gaymon (USA) 48.46, 4. Bershawn Jackson (USA) 48.53. 7. Leford Green (JAM) 49.34.
4x100m: 1. Racers Track Club (JAM) 37.75, 2. France (FRA) 38.45, 3. Canada (CAN) 38.58, 4. Australia (AUS) 38.71.
WOMEN
100m: 1. Blessing Okagbare (NGR) 10.79, 2. Barbara Pierre (USA) 10.85,
3. Kelly-Ann Baptiste (TRI) 10.93, 4. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (JAM) 10.94,
5. Murielle Ahoure (CIV) 10.95, 6. Kerron Stewart (JAM) 11.02.200m: 1. Allyson Felix (USA) 22.41, 2. Shalonda Solomon (USA) 22.50,
3. Anthonique Strachan (BAH) 22.63, 4. Anyika Onuora (GBR) 22.79, 5. Anneisha McLaughlin (JAM) 22.88.
400m: 1. Christine Ohuruogu (GBR) 50.00, 2. Francena McCorory (USA) 50.13, 3. Natasha Hastings (USA) 50.68, 4. Shana Cox (GBR) 51.12. 6. Christine Day (JAM) 51.41, 7. Rosemarie Whyte (JAM) 51.60.
100m hurdles: 1. Sally Pearson (AUS) 12.65, 2. Tiffany Porter (GBR) 12.76 3. Kellie Wells (USA) 12.95, 4. Jessica Ennis (GBR) 13.08. 7. Shermaine Williams (JAM) 13.16.