Mulaudzi holds off challengers

Johannesburg - Comfortably holding off the East African charge, South African world 800m champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi secured his first international victory of the season at the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Daegu, South Korea on Wednesday.

Mulaudzi won the men's two-lap race in 1:45.06, with Kenyans filling the next four places, led by Gilbert Kipchoge who clocked 1:46.01 and Abraham Kiplagat who was third in 1:46.02.

Jamaican world record holder Usain Bolt, the main drawcard produced by the event organisers, decimated the field in his first 100m race of the season.

Bolt clocked 9.86 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year, with countryman Michael Frater placing a distant second in 10.15.

Mulaudzi will miss this weekend’s Diamond League meeting in Shanghai with no men‘s 800m race on the time table, after finishing fourth in Doha last week, but two other South Africans are in the provisional start lists.

Teenage sensation Ulrich Damon, still only 19, will compete in the men’s javelin throw, while Peter van der Westhuizen, fresh off setting a season’s best 3:38.72 in Ponce earlier this month, lines up in the men’s 1 500m race.