BY KNEWS

Kingston, Jamaica Sprinting legend Usain Bolt (9.90) left it late coming from behind to win the men’s 100m at the Zurich Diamond League in Zurich, Switzerland, yesterday with teammate Nickel Ashmeade (9.94) in second. American Justin Gatlin was third in 9.96 seconds.

The other Jamaicans Nesta Carter and Kemar Bailey-Cole were sixth and seventh respectively.

Gatlin, although finishing in third place, is the winner of this season’s Diamond League 100m title.

World leader Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was first in the women’s 200 metre sprinting a comfortable 22.40 seconds. The win makes Fraser-Pryce the female 200m Diamond League champion for 2013.

Mourielle Ahoure from the Ivory Coast, in a repeat of Moscow World Championships, was second in 22.66, while the Ukraine’s Mariya Ryemyen was third in 22.67. American Tiffany Townsend was disqualified after a false start.

The United States 4X100M relay team ran a swift 41.67 seconds to take the Zurich Trophy and the Diamond League record.

Jamaica’s team made up of Carrie Russell, Kerron Stewart, Natasha Morrison and anchored by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was second in 41.78, followed by Ukraine in 42.71 seconds. Fraser-Pryce, getting the baton after the US anchor made a valiant chasing effort but had to settle for second as the US held the lead to win.

World champion American Lashawn Merrit winning in 44.13 got the better of Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada (44.32) in second. Third was the Czech Republic’s Pavel Maslak, who ran 44.91 seconds. Merritt’s win confirms him as the Diamond League 400m title winner this season.

World Champion American David Oliver won the men’s 110M hurdles in 13.12 seconds. Teammates Ryan Williams (13.24) and Jason Richardson were second and third (13.26).

Meseret Defar produced a sprint finish to hold off a strong challenge from fellow Ethopian Tirunesh Dibaba and win the 5,000m. Defar, the world champion and double Olympic gold medallist, finished in 14 minutes 32.83 seconds – just over two seconds ahead of Dibaba, the triple Olympic champion, who completed the 5,000m/10,000m double in Beijing five years ago.

The victory gives Defar a 15-11 head-to-head advantage over her arch-rival in 5,000m contests.

The next Diamond League meet will be in Brussels, Belgium on September 6, 2013.

PHOTO: Usain Bolt made a terrible start but recovered to take the win © AP

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