Bolt improves on season time after win in Monaco

Usain Bolt overcame a tentative start to win his final 100 metres before the athletics world championships next month, clocking 9.88 seconds at the Monaco Diamond League meeting on Friday.

Bolt improved his personal best time this season by 0.03 seconds but was still well short of his world mark of 9.58 seconds.

"Overall, technically wise, it was a good race," Bolt said. "It was not the best start, but I executed well overall."

Canadian Dylan Armstrong was third in the men's shot put. The Kamloops, B.C., native threw for 20.98 metres behind Americans Reese Hoffa (21.25) and Christian Cantwell (21.23).

Nesta Carter of Jamaica was second in 9.90 seconds ahead of Michael Rodgers of the United States, who was third in 9.96.

Bolt's last race before the worlds — which start Aug. 27 in Daegu, South Korea — will be a 200 at Stockholm next week.

Bolt had to battle all the way to prevail against a strong field that also included European champion Christophe Lemaitre of France and Jamaican Michael Frater.

On a very fast track and with a slight tail wind, the triple Olympic champion failed to beat the Herculis meet record of 9.82 after surging ahead of his rivals in the last 20 metres.

"Nesta Carter, Michael Frater are very good starters, better starters than me," Bolt said. "But the last 60 [metres] are the best part of my race, so I was never really worried. Overall it was good."

Bolt, who competed for the first time on the Stade Louis II track, is unbeaten this season and said winning races, even by small margins, is the most important thing ahead of the worlds.

"For me it's always key to keep winning," he said. "And I'm getting better. My last 60 metres have improved dramatically. I need to work on my reaction time, but I've been doing great in training, so I'm just focusing and I feel ready."

Frater was fourth in 10.01 while Lemaitre ended fifth in 10.03.

Bolt, who has been hampered by injuries last season, has already warned he won't lower his 100-meter world record this year and that he is only focusing on defending his sprint titles in Daegu.

"My aim this season is to run 9.7, maybe 9.6," he said. "For me, this year it's about building myself and go into the Olympic season fit and ready. London is the key."

Pulling away from the pack

In the men's 800, world record holder David Rudisha of Kenya improved the season-best time he set last month, winning in 1:42.61.

Rudisha, who was hampered by tendinitis in his left foot earlier this season, stayed close to his usual pacemaker Sammy Tangui in the first lap before pulling away from the pack.

Asbel Kiprop of Kenya produced a great effort in the final stretch to close the gap but had to settle for second with a personal best time of 1:43.15. Nick Symmonds of the United States finished third, in 1:43.83.

"I felt great, I knew my shape was coming along nicely and it's nice to see such a fast time," said Rudisha. "Training has been going well so I was looking forward to a nice race."

Rudisha broke Wilson Kipketer's 13-year-old world record twice last year. He first ran 1:41.09 then 1:41.01 seven days later.

On an evening marked by several new world leading performances this season, former Olympic champion Angelo Taylor resisted a late surge from fellow American Bershawn Jackson to win the 400 hurdles in 47.97 seconds.

"I'm happy with the win although it was not a great race technically," Taylor said. "But my speed and my strength are good. You know my goal for this season: I'm going for gold and only gold in South Korea."

Jackson was second in 48.22 and European champion David Greene of Britain, the Diamond League leader, ended third in 48.43.

Amantle Montsho of Botswana posted a fourth consecutive Diamond League win in the women's 400, with a world leading time of 49.71. Montsho, who also won in Oslo, Lausanne and Birmingham this season, easily beat Francena McCorory and Jamaican Novlene Williams-Mills.

"This summer I'm running under 50, so it's great," Montsho said. "This was my last race before Daegu so it was important to run fast. I'm going back to Dakar to train."

Montsho's only two defeats this season came at the hands of American Allyson Felix, who finished second in the 200 metres behind Carmelita Jeter.

"I did really well today and I'm happy to win because I love running in Monaco," said Jeter after clocking 22.20. "There is a great atmosphere. I'll be competing at the best of my abilities in Daegu."

The United States finished 1-2-3 in that race, with Shalonda Solomon taking third place.

The three-time 200 world champion Felix got off to a good start but could not match Jeter's acceleration in the final stretch and finished in 22.32.

Felix, who has yet to decide whether she will compete in both the 200 and 400 at the worlds, said "it was not my best day today."

In the men's 5,000, Mohammed Farah posted the quickest time in the world this year and set a new British record in 12 minutes 53.11 seconds, also smashing the previous meet record of 13:06.36 set by Said Aouita of Morocco in 1989.

Silas Kiplagat ran the fastest 1,500 metres this season in 3:30.47 and Renaud Lavillenie delighted his fans when he won the pole vault with a world leading vault of 5.90 metres.

The Frenchman then missed three attempts at 6.05.   

Olympic and world champion Steven Hooker of Australia missed his comeback to competition, taking eighth place after clearing 5.45 metres.

Hooker, who had not competed since the Commonwealth Games in October because of a knee injury, failed his three attempts at 5.60 metres.

"I had a bad start," he said. "I felt good, but it was my first competition. Even if I didn't win, I had fun."

World champion Blanka Vlasic of Croatia won the high jump after clearing 1.97 metres.