Blake outshines Bolt

Usain Bolt (left) congratulates his compatriot
Yohan Blake

Usain Bolt is back on top of the world in the 100 metres but not even the year’s fastest run by the world’s fastest man could steal the show in Brussels from the training partner who stole his world title in Daegu.

Yohan Blake, who won the 100m  title three weeks ago after Bolt’ s disqualification for a false start, watched his fellow Jamaican leap to the top of the year’s rankings with a time of 9.76sec in the final Samsung Diamond League meeting of the year.

Six minutes later, Blake trumped that with the second fastest 200 metres ever run, surpassing Michael Johnson’s former world record with a time of 19.26sec. Only the time of 19.19 sec that won Bolt the world title in Berlin two years ago is faster.

‘A wild time,’ Bolt called it, revealing that he had advised Blake beforehand how he should run an event in which he had not bettered 20.33sec this year. ‘He’s run some bad ones, so I told him to take it easy round the bend,’ said Bolt.

Blake, three years younger than Bolt and almost six inches shorter, followed the advice, only pulling away from American Walter Dix in the last 70m. It was a half second improvement on his previous best. Dix with a time of 19.53sec the fourth fastest man of all time.

‘Tonight I was looking for 19.50. I was expecting something fast like that but not this fast. I am like a beast,’ said Blake.

Britain’s world 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene was beaten into second place by Puerto Rican Javier Culson but picked up the $40,000 prize as Diamond League champion. Phillips Idowu did likewise in the triple jump even though he finished only fifth fter pulling out after only two attempts.