Share

Bolt at the double to win inaugural Nitro meet

Melbourne - Eight-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt secured a classy win for his All-Stars team with two impressive runs on the final night of the inaugural Nitro Athletics.

After restricting himself to a leg of the mixed 4x100m relay on each of the first two nights at Melbourne's packed Lakeside Stadium, the world's fastest man contested the 150m, which he won convincingly.

Bolt was clearly fastest out of the blocks and around the bend to quickly establish a lead of over 10 metres mid-race, before easing up in the closing stages.

The 30-year-old Jamaican star clocked a time of 15.28 seconds, less than a second slower than the world record of 14.35 he set over the distance in Manchester in 2009. His world record for 200m, also set in 2009 in Berlin, is 19.19 seconds.

New Zealand's Joseph Miller finished strongly in 15.44 seconds with Confidence Lawson of England third in 15.69.

Some 45 minutes later, Bolt again ran the second leg of the mixed 4x100m relay, helping his All Stars take out the final event of the night, as they had at the previous two Nitro Athletics meets last Saturday and Thursday.

Bolt took the baton from fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell and stretched the lead before handing over to American Jeneba Tarmoh.

Another Jamaican, Natasha Morrison, ran the final leg to secure victory for the Bolt All Stars in the race, which also took them to the top of the points table on the night to claim the first Nitro trophy ahead of Australia.

Bolt, who is expected to retire from track and field at the end of the year, said he was feeling good about his own form but even better about leading his team to victory.

Nitro Athletics involves a mixture of traditional and modified events, including mixed gender relays and an elimination mile, designed to provide non-stop action over a two-hour period

Twelve events were contested on each of the three nights, with points awarded for each placing, from 100 points to the winning team down to 40 for the sixth-place finisher.

In a bid to sell the action-packed Nitro concept globally, Bolt fronted the All-Stars - including athletes from Jamaica, the US and Kenya - against teams representing Australia, England, New Zealand, Japan and China.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1818 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1778 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1084 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 461 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 187 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 254 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE