Aman eclipses Rudisha as Bolt and Blake coast

Zurich: Jamaican sprint duo Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake dominated the 100 and 200m at the Diamond League meet here on Thursday, but Kenyan 800m star David Rudisha was upstaged by Ethiopian tyro Mohammad Aman.

In a high-quality night of action featuring 14 Olympic champions, training partners Bolt and Blake set new meeting records of 19.66 and 9.76 seconds in the 200 and 100m respectively.

Fresh from his second successive triple gold haul at the Olympics, Bolt came around the bend into the final stretch just ahead of compatriot Nickel Ashmeade on his inside.

And then the imposing 26-year-old, also the world record holder in both sprint events, switched on the afterburners in his drive phase to ensure a comfortable win in his favoured event.

“Running after the Olympics is much more fun, it is less stress,” said Bolt. “Now I have one more race (in Brussels on September 7) until the end of the season and I am looking forward to it.

“During the season, you push yourself a lot and it’s only at the end that you realise how tired you are.”

Blake overcame a false start by top US sprinter Tyson Gay to hold his nerve in a 100m raced in chilly, wet conditions at a packed Letzigrund Stadium.

The 22-year-old, who won double sprint silver behind Bolt in the London Games and is currently the second fastest man in the world alongside Gay (after racing 9.69 seconds in Lausanne last week), rocketed out of his blocks at the second time of asking to power through the line.

Compatriot Nesta Carter was second in 9.95 seconds, with American Ryan Bailey (9.97) in third.

“I am not at all surprised that after the Olympics I am coming out so strong and so fast. It’s because my coach has a plan for me,” said Blake of Glen Mills, who also coaches Bolt.

“Next year I can be even better,” he warned.

But there was disappointment for Rudisha, the blazing two-lap specialist who was bidding to better his own world record of 1 minute 40.91 seconds he set when winning 800m gold at the London Games earlier this month.

With all talk of the record bid, no one had counted on the kick of 18-year-old Aman, who finished sixth at the Olympics but who importantly last year became the first and last man to defeat Rudisha since 2009.

Rudisha’s pacemaker missed his first lap target by more than one second, and with any chance of a world record completely out of the window, the 23-year-old Kenyan world champion found himself in front but in a real dogfight with Aman, who kicked as the duo rounded the last bend.

Aman held on for a convincing win in a personal best of 1:42.53, with Rudisha timing 1:42.81.

“The race was good, really,” a magnanimous Rudisha said. “The race was fast and the winner achieved a 1:42.5 time and new personal best.

“My legs felt tired and I cannot run well if the weather is not good.”

Aman left his Kenyan rival in no doubt that it would not be all plain sailing for him in the two-lap race next season.

“This was the final Diamond League race and therefore a strong one,” Aman said. “I am very happy and hopefully next year I will beat the world record.”

One Olympic champion to also shine was Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who rebounded from two successive losses to Carmelita Jeter in Lausanne and Birmingham to easily trump the American in the women’s 100m in 10.83 seconds .

Jeter clocked 10.97 seconds with teammate and 200m specialist Allyson Felix finishing third (11.02).

Other London champions to win were France’s Renaud Lavillenie in the men’s pole vault (5.70m), Croat Sandra Perkovic in the women’s discus (63.97m), American Sanya Richards-Ross in the women’s 400m (50.21 seconds) and Russian Ivan Ukhov in the men’s high jump (2.31m).

But American Christian Taylor (triple jump) and Felix Sanchez (400m hurdles) were both eclipsed by veterans, Italy’s Fabrizio Donato (17.29m) and American Angelo Taylor (48.29 seconds) respectively.

And American Brittney Reese could only finish ninth in the women’s long jump, retiring after aggravating a stress fracture in her ankle.