Bolt, SFP among winners at Racers Grand Prix

Reigning World and Olympic champions Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce warmed up for Jamaica’s Olympic trials later this month by recording contrasting 100m victories on Saturday night at the inaugural JN Racers Grand Prix held at the National Stadium.

Bolt gave another indicator that he was rounding back into top form when he powered his way from behind to land the men’s blue ribband event in a season’s-best 9.88 seconds, two-hundredths of a second outside the world lead.

Nickel Ashmeade was second in 9.94 seconds with Yohan Blake third in a season’s-best also with 9.94 seconds and former world record holder Asafa Powell fourth in 9.98, also his season’s-best effort.

Fraser-Pryce who was running her first race since the end of May, shrugged off a niggling toe problem to post 11.09 seconds in recording a fighting victory in the women’s 100m over World Indoor champion Barbara Pierre 11.11 and Kelly-Ann Baptiste 11.15 seconds.

Two of the most outstanding performances came in the 200 metres. Shaunae Miller produced a Bahamian national record with a sizzling 22.05 seconds, the fourth fastest time in the world this year to take the women’s half lap event while the exciting Antiguan Miguel Francis clocked a spectacular 19.88 seconds in landing the men’s equivalent.

Other winners were Jason Livermore 10.03 seconds in the men’s ‘A’ 100m; Johnny Dutch 48.11 in the 400m hurdles, Wayde Van Niekerk 31.03 seconds in the rarely-run 300m, Machel Cedenio 44.37 in the 400m, David Oliver 13.03 in the 110m hurdles, Shericka Jackson 50.72 in the women’s 400m and Sharika Nelvis 12.61 in the 100m hurdles.