Bolt puts gold on line over drug claims

Triple World and Olympic champion Usain Bolt graced local fans with a blistering season’s best run of 9.88 seconds to win the men’s 100 metres at the inaugural Jamaica National Racers Grand Prix now on at the National Stadium.

Powell had hoped for better, running fourth despite what he described as a calf cramp.

In the hurdles events, Johnny Dutch of United States of America improved his own world-leading time for the men’s 400m hurdles with a 48.10 secs performance in Kingston, which is the third fastest time in his career.

France’s Jimmy Vica ut owns the fastest time in the world in 2016, 9.86 seconds at a meeting in Montreuil on June 7.

In the women’s 100m, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce returned to winning ways after injury struggles, clocking 11.09 to beat USA’s Barbara Pierre.

Asked if he was surprised by the time, Bolt said: “No, I am not surprised as I felt good coming into the race, and with a better start, it would have been much faster”.

South Africa’s 400m world champion Wayde Van Niekerk, won the rarely contested 300m in a blistering 31.03sec.

But if they are stripped of gold it will be a huge blow to Bolt’s dream of matching Carl Lewis’s nine Olympic golds as three in Rio would then still leave him one short.

Ahoure eclipsed the African record of 10.79 set by Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare in in London on July 27, 2013.

Meanwhile, World 400 metres silver medallist, Bahamian Shaunae Miller, stormed to a new national record in the 200 metres when she dismissed her field in a time of 22.05 seconds – the third fastest time in the world this year.