Usain Bolt ‘rusty’ in first race of 2016
By Nick Zaccardi From NBC Sports
Usain Bolt called his first race since Aug. 29 “rusty,” a 100m win in 10.05 seconds at the Cayman Invitational on Saturday night.
The six-time Olympic champion grimaced after crossing the finish line against a lackluster field, saying minutes later that it wasn’t a smooth sprint, as he expected after a long offseason.
“What time did I run?” Bolt asked an interviewer. “I didn’t even know. … I’m just glad I got out of that one injury-free.”
Bolt’s stated goal was to clock 9.91 seconds, making a bet with friends before the meet.
“I need to get a few more races under my belt,” Bolt, who dealt with an ankle injury in the winter, said Saturday night. “By [Olympic] trials time, I’ll be ready.”
In 2012, Bolt ran 9.82 and 10.04 in his first two 100m races of that Olympic year.
Earlier Saturday, the second-, third- and fourth-place finishers at the 2012 Olympics also raced 100m at different meets.
Silver medalist Yohan Blake ran 10.03 with a legal tailwind in Germany. Bronze medalist Justin Gatlin ran 9.94 with no wind in Shanghai. Fourth-place Tyson Gay ran 10.03 in Florida, according to L’Equipe.
Bolt is next scheduled to race a 100m on Friday in Ostrava, Czech Republic, against a field that includes Olympic decathlon champion Ashton Eaton.
He’s preparing for the Jamaican Olympic Trials from June 30-July 3, when the top three in the 100m and 200m are expected to make the Olympic team.
For more on this story go to: http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2016/05/14/usain-bolt-wins-cayman-invitational-100-meters/