Bolt wins again; Isinbayeva is back

Usain Bolt was staring a shock 100metre defeat in the face at the IAAF Golden League meeting in Zurich.

But powered clear to claim a dramatic victory while Yelena Isinbayeva bounced back from her disastrous World Championship performance to set yet another pole vault world record.

Bolt looked like suffering first 100m defeat since losing at the Stockholm Super Grand Prix in July last year only to recover to win in 9.81 seconds.

It was a close run thing for the Olympic and world 100m and 200m champion, who was the last to rise from his blocks and a metre down at the halfway point.

But, just when all seemed lost, the world's fastest man changed gear 15m from the line to record his 11th successive 100m victory.

The 6ft 5in sprinter's lengthy final strides gave him victory ahead of fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell, who clocked 9.88secs, with American Darvis Patton third in 9.95s.

"I would say this was a shaky race, my body was sitting at the start," Bolt said afterwards.

The world record holder, who has undertaken a demanding social programme since winning the world title in Berlin, added: "I was a little bit tired through the race. But again it's all right.

"All things considered the time was not bad. Yes, at the end I needed to pick up my speed as my body did not respond well to the race."

Bolt, showing he still had some strength left, then returned to anchor Jamaica to victory in the 4x100m relay in 37.70s ahead of the USA (37.73), Trinidad and Tobago (38.20) and Great Britain (38.22sec).

Russian Isinbayeva, who failed to record a height in the final in the World Championship final in Berlin, could not have dreamed of a more polished return.

The 27-year-old banished any doubts her career may be in decline by raising her own world record by a centimetre to 5.06m.

Isinbayeva, who set her previous mark in winning Olympic gold in Beijing last year, opened with the bar at 4.71m and made a first-time clearance.

After clearing 4.81m and with the competition won, she then had it raised to to 5.06m.

The Russian, who had claimed she would never underestimate her opponents again as she did in Berlin, produced a perfect run up and made an easy clearance.

"It's really unbelievable, crazy, amazing," Isinbayeva said after achieving her 15th outdoor record.

"I felt fresh after Berlin when doing nothing there and I want to thank my fans for their support after that setback."

Britain's Kate Dennison, sixth in Berlin, managed just two valid jumps, placing seventh with a best effort of 4.41m.

Isinbayeva, Kenenisa Bekele and Sanya Richards maintained their ambitions of lifting outright or sharing the USD$1million jackpot at the final meeting in Brussels next Friday.

Bekele showed no signs of tiredness after his world 5,000 and 10,000m double when winning over the shorter distance in 12:52.32.

World champion Richards destroyed her opponents with a run of 48.94s, the fastest in the world this year, ahead of fellow American Allyson Felix with Shericka Williams third.

Britain's Christine Ohuruogu and Nicola Sanders could not match the blistering pace and finished fourth and sixth.

Lisa Dobriskey produced the best British performance of the night and the fastest 1,500m time of her career when clocking 3:59.50 behind Maryam Yusuf Jamal and Anna Willard.

The performance saw Dobriskey become only the fourth British woman to break four minutes after Kelly Holmes, Hayley Tullett and Zola Budd, and she believes there is much more to come.

World silver medallist Dobriskey said: "I had so much left but didn't get things right.

"I made my move with 300m left but didn't have the confidence to maintain the break. I kept thinking some of the girls had much faster finishes than me.

"Then I got boxed in with 200m left and that was a bit silly as I thought they would spread and let me through.

"Instead I was stuck in the traffic. Then I got free and gave it everything I could down the straight."

William Sharman, fourth in Berlin, had to settle for sixth place in the 110m hurdles as Dwight Thomas won in a Jamaican record of 13.16.

Tom Lancashire ran a spirited race for fifth in the 1,500m, clocking 3:34.74. Kenya's Augustine Choge won in 3:33.38.

Tyrone Edgar finished last in the main 100m race in 10.28. The first preliminary 100m race saw Rikki Fifton finish second in 10.26.

The second saw Harry Aikines-Aryeetey fourth in 10.21 with Marlon Devonish just behind.