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Bolt edges Powell in thriller

Oslo - Usain Bolt will travel back to Jamaica for Olympic trials on the back of a nail-biting victory over compatriot Asafa Powell in the 100m at the Oslo Diamond League meet on Thursday.

The 25-year-old reigning double Olympic sprint champion left it late in the race to reel in Powell, the former world record holder.

Teeth gritted and long legs pumping, Bolt screamed through the finish line in 9.79 seconds, Powell notching up his 77th sub-10sec 100m in 9.85sec but also left wondering what he has to do to improve on his 11-1 losing record against Bolt.

"I really enjoyed it!" beamed Bolt. "My execution was alright. I'm going home now to top things up.

"I'll look to go fast and look forward to the trials."

The race was delayed after Briton Mark Lewis-Francis false started in lane one.

But Bolt kept his nerve to produce a reasonable start, but was left trailing Powell over the first 60m.

It was then that Bolt pushed his huge frame through his drive phase and claimed the victory.

The performance followed his 9.76sec outing in Rome last week in warmer weather, which came after a minor blip, albeit a winning one, of 10.04sec in a cold and blustery Ostrava.

As introductions were made on the stadium big screen, Bolt danced and generally acted up for the benefit of a capacity crowd at the Bislett Stadium.

When the screams and whistles died down, Bolt, wearing bright white spikes and loose blue singlet and shorts, settled in his blocks after crossing himself, looking skywards and winking as the television zoomed in and his picture was broadcast on the big stadium screen.

The Jamaican revolutionised sprinting, and indeed athletics, four years ago in Beijing, setting world records when winning the 100 and 200m titles, and also starring in a record-breaking Jamaican quartet in the 4x100m relay.

He left the Chinese capital as one of the most recognisable figures in world sport, unbelievably going on to beat both his individual sprint marks with new times (9.58 and 19.19sec) in the Berlin worlds in 2009.

Bolt lost his world 100m title in Daegu, South Korea, last July to compatriot Yohann Blake after sensationally false starting in the final.

But with track and field set to again take centre stage at this summer's London Olympics, the world's largest sporting event, Bolt will now head back to Jamaica for trials and a serious eye on what he can do in the British capital.

Bislett Games Diamond League results on Thursday.

Men's 100m: 1. Usain Bolt (Jamaica) 9.79 2. Asafa Powell (Jamaica) 9.85 3. Lerone Clarke (Jamaica) 10.10 4. Justyn Warner (Canada) 10.20 5. Simon Magakwe (South Africa) 10.30 6. Marlon Devonish (Britain) 10.40 7. Fabio Cerutti (Italy) 10.52

Mark Lewis-Francis (Britain) DSQ

Men's Mile: 1. Asbel Kiprop (Kenya) 3:49.22 2. Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku (Kenya) 3:50.00 3. Mekonnen Gebremedhin (Ethiopia) 3:50.02 4. Gideon Gathimba (Kenya) 3:50.24 5. Amine Laalou (Morocco) 3:50.43 6. James Kiplagat Magut (Kenya) 3:50.68 7. Bethwell Birgen (Kenya) 3:50.73 8. Hamza Driouch (Qatar) 3:50.90

Men's 5000m: 1. Dejen Gebremeskel (Ethiopia) 12:58.92 2. Hagos Gebrhiwet (Ethiopia) 12:58.99 3. Imane Merga (Ethiopia) 12:59.77 4. Tariku Bekele (Ethiopia) 13:00.41 5. Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) 13:00.54 6. Moses Ndiema Kipsiro (Uganda) 13:00.68 7. Sileshi Sihine (Ethiopia) 13:01.39 8. Yigrem Demelash Endale (Ethiopia) 13:03.30

Men's 400m: Hurdles 1. Javier Culson (Puerto Rico) 47.92 2. Jehue Gordon (Trinidad and Tobago) 48.78 3. Justin Gaymon (U.S.) 48.97 4. David Greene (Britain) 48.98 5. Cornel Fredericks (South Africa) 49.16 6. Jack Green (Britain) 49.70 7. Ricardo Yates (Britain) 50.46 8. Georg Fleischhauer (Germany) 50.55

Men's Pole Vault: 1. Renaud Lavillenie (France) 5.82 2. Malte Mohr (Germany) 5.62 3. Lukasz Michalski (Poland) 5.52 4. Lazaro Borges (Cuba) 5.52 7. Jerome Clavier (France) 5.42 5. Alhaji Jeng (Sweden) 5.42 6. Bjoern Otto (Germany) 5.42

Fabio Gomes da Silva (Brazil) NoM

Men's Triple Jump: 1. Lyukman Adams (Russia) 17.09 2. Christian Taylor (U.S.) 17.06 3. Sheryf El-Sheryf (Ukraine) 17.03 4. Benjamin Compaore (France) 16.90 5. Peder P. Nielsen (Denmark) 16.88 6. Alexis Copello (Cuba) 16.70 7. Osviel Hernandez (Cuba) 16.35 8. Larry Achike (Britain) 16.12

Men's Shot Put: 1. Tomasz Majewski (Poland) 21.36 2. Dylan Armstrong (Canada) 20.82 3. David Storl (Germany) 20.69 4. Kim Christensen (Denmark) 19.69 5. Marco Fortes (Portugal) 19.56 6. Odinn Bjoern porsteinsson (Iceland) 18.66 7. Leif Arrhenius (Sweden) 18.61 8. Stian Andersen (Norway) 16.47

Men's Javelin: 1. Vitezslav Vesely (Czech Republic) 88.11 2. Fatih Avan (Turkey) 83.82 3. Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway) 82.30 4. Ari Mannio (Finland) 82.20 5. Matthias De Zordo (Germany) 81.44 6. Vadims Vasilevskis (Latvia) 80.96 7. Stuart Farquhar (New Zealand) 78.84 8. Ivan Zaytsev (Uzbekistan) 77.81

Women's 100m: 1. Ezinne Okparaebo (Norway) 11.31 2. ChaRonda Williams (U.S.) 11.44 3. Sheri-Ann Brooks (Jamaica) 11.44 4. Gloria Asumnu (Nigeria) 11.44 5. Montell Douglas (Britain) 11.55 6. Tiffany Townsend (U.S.) 11.56 7. Abiodun Oyepitan (Britain) 11.70

Mariya Ryemyen (Ukraine) DNS

Women's 200m: 1. Murielle Ahoure (Cote D'Ivoire) 22.42 2. Abiodun Oyepitan (Britain) 22.71 3. ChaRonda Williams (U.S.) 22.75 4. Mariya Ryemyen (Ukraine) 22.78 5. Sheri-Ann Brooks (Jamaica) 23.16 6. Kerron Stewart (Jamaica) 23.19 7. Sherone Simpson (Jamaica) 23.32 8. Folake Akinyemi (Norway) 23.83

Women's 400m: 1. Amantle Montsho (Botswana) 49.68 2. Patricia Hall (Jamaica) 50.71 3. Debbie Dunn (U.S.) 51.22 4. Natalya Antyukh (Russia) 51.51 5. Shericka Williams (Jamaica) 51.56 6. Moa Hjelmer (Sweden) 51.99 7. Marie Gayot (France) 52.47 8. Nicola Sanders (Britain) 52.79

Women's 1500m: 1. Abeba Arigawe (Ethiopia) 4:02.42 2. Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia) 4:03.28 3. Anna Mishchenko (Ukraine) 4:03.33 4. Hellen Obiri (Kenya) 4:04.42 5. Btissam Lakhouad (Morocco) 4:04.45 6. Morgan Uceny (U.S.) 4:05.30 7. Ingvill Makestad Bovim (Norway) 4:06.31 8. Anna Pierce (U.S.) 4:06.91

Women's 100m: Hurdles 1. Sally Pearson (Australia) 12.49 2. Kristi Castlin (U.S.) 12.56 3. Tiffany Ofili-Porter (Britain) 12.70 4. Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (Canada) 12.74 5. Lolo Jones (U.S.) 12.75 6. Danielle Carruthers (U.S.) 12.76 7. Lisa Urech (Switzerland) 13.15

Jessica Ennis (Britain) DSQ

Women's 3000m Steeplechase: 1. Milcah Chemos Cheywa (Kenya) 9:07.14 2. Sofia Assefa (Ethiopia) 9:09.00 3. Hiwot Ayalew (Ethiopia) 9:09.61 4. Mercy Njoroge (Kenya) 9:25.21 5. Lydiah Chepkurui (Kenya) 9:27.40 6. Gesa Felicitas Krause (Germany) 9:33.10 7. Lydia Jebet Rotich (Kenya) 9:33.19 8. Birtukan Adamu (Ethiopia) 9:36.40

Women's High Jump: 1. Chaunte Lowe (U.S.) 1.97 2. Tia Hellebaut (Belgium) 1.93 3. Marina Aitova (Kazakhstan) 1.90 4. Ruth Beitia (Spain) 1.90 4=. Anna Iljustsenko (Estonia) 1.90 6. Oyunn Grindem (Norway) 1.85 7. Tonje Angelsen (Norway) 1.85 8. Stine Kufaas (Norway) 1.80

Women's Long Jump: 1. Olga Kucherenko (Russia) 6.96 2. Elena Sokolova (Russia) 6.89 3. Janay DeLoach (U.S.) 6.78 4. Shara Proctor (Britain) 6.60 5. Ivana Spanovic (Serbia) 6.48 6. Ineta Radevica (Latvia) 6.46 7. Olga Zaytseva (Russia) 6.07

Margrethe Renstrom (Norway) NoM

Women's Discus: 1. Sandra Perkovic (Croatia) 64.89 2. Nadine Mueller (Germany) 63.60 3. Yarelis Barrios (Cuba)

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