Usain Bolt on top of the world

OSLO, Norway (CMC):

Usain Bolt defied unfavourable conditions to clock the year's fastest time in the men's 200 metres yesterday at the Bislett Games.

The Jamaican sprint sensation, running his first 200m in 13 months, braved the driving rain to finish in a world-leading time of 19.86 seconds in the fifth meet of the IAAF Diamond League series.

"I was never out of business," said Bolt about his early-season form, which included 9.95 seconds performances over 100m. "Business was just slow.

"It was my first 200 race in one year and one month, so I'm very happy with it, and the fact I went under 20 seconds.

"That means I'm in pretty good shape although I still have technique to work on."

Returning to the distance at which he made his name as a lanky teenager, Bolt, the double world and Olympic champion and world record holder in both the 100 and 200m, showed little signs of the lengthy layoff from the distance.

No one close

Running out of lane six, he caught compatriot Mario Forsythe on his outside within the first 15 metres, and in the final 80 metres there was no one to come close to him.

Gambia-born Jaysuma Saidy Ndure of Norway finished second in 20.43, with Forsythe taking third 0.06 back, and former world 100 champion Kim Collins coming fourth in 20.56.

In another significant result, Dwight Thomas shaved one hundredths of a second off his national 110 hurdles record, with a time of 13.15 seconds.

Thomas trailed for the first half of the race, but came back strong in the end to cross the line three hundredths of a second behind American winner Aries Merritt.

"Yea, good race, but mistakes cost me a faster time," he told the Track Alerts website. "But for me, a new hurdler in my third year, I'm doing great.

"I think when the summer comes around I will definitely run 13 flat or even faster."

Veteran Novlene Williams-Mills also made it to the podium. She ran 51.17 in the women's 400, which went to Amantle Montsho in a personal season's best time of 50.10.