Usain Bolt goes under 10 seconds at Czech Golden Spike but is not ‘fully happy’

Usain Bolt poses with young fans at the Czech Golden Spike meet. Filip Singer / EPA

Usain Bolt won the 100 metres at the Czech Golden Spike event in 9.98 seconds on Friday, in his second race this season in the run-up to August’s Rio Olympic Games.

Bolt said he was not “fully happy”, blaming a poor first part of the race on failing to meet his plan of 9.8 seconds in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava.

“My first 40m was kind of sluggish,” he said after beating Ramon Gittens of Barbados by 0.23 seconds and third-placed Hassan Taftian by 0.27.

“My reaction was good, I think the only problem I had was support behind the start was not there, I didn’t execute, I didn’t get the power through the first 40.

“So I had to work a little bit harder at the end to get up the speed. If I can improve that it should be OK.”

Bolt had to see his German doctor earlier this week over a tight hamstring he had picked up at the Cayman Invitational Meet last week when he clocked 10.05 seconds.

But he said the injury had no impact on his performance at Ostrava.

Looking at his prospects for Rio, the 29-year-old Jamaican said he felt like he was “getting there.”

“As long as I stay injury-free and I continue pushing myself, continue executing like that, I’ll be fine,” said Bolt, who owns the 100m world record at 9.58 seconds and the world 200m record of 19.19.

“I’m definitely going to win in Rio, as long as I get everything right and everything goes smoothly I should be OK, you know what I mean?” he added with a wink.

Bolt will defend his 100m, 200m and 4x100m titles from 2008 and 2012 in Rio, seeking to become the first athlete ever to grab three consecutive Olympic golds in the three events.

Before the Caymans meet, Bolt took a long break from racing following the Beijing World Championships last August, where he won the 100m and 200m races in addition to helping Jamaica dominate the 4x100m relay.

Bolt was set to take on decathlon world record holder Ashton Eaton on the 100-metre track at Ostrava, but Eaton pulled out of an earlier long-jump competition with an unspecified injury and failed to show up for the sprint.

“During the second jump I felt something happened in my left quad,” said Eaton, defending Olympic champion in decathlon.

“I don’t know what happened but I don’t want to take a risk in the Olympic season.”

In a clash of Olympic gold contenders, French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie equalled his season best as he cleared 5.83 metres, beating Canadian world champion Shawnacy Barber who managed 5.70.

“I’m happy about the win,” Lavillenie said. “I was expecting more today, but I’m happy about making 5.70 and 5.83 at the first attempt.”

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