Usain Bolt ran the world's fastest 150 metres to win a soggy street sprint yesterday that marked his return to action after a car crash left him requiring foot surgery.
In windy Manchester, the triple Olympic champion ran down the northern English city's main thoroughfare in 14.35 seconds, breaking Donovan Bailey's 12-year-old world best of 14.99 in the rarely run 150. Pietro Mennea of Italy ran in a hand-timed 14.8 in 1983.
"It is one more to the tally," the 22-year-old Bolt said. "It's my first major competition of the season so I was just happy to come out and run injury free and run a good time."
Appeared to stumble
The Jamaican appeared to stumble after surging out of the blocks but then got into his stride. He then struggled to slow down after the finish, despite organisers extending the temporary track by 70 metres, and crashed into a camera.
"I was kind of worried, I thought I was going to die at the end," he joked. "My agent told me that the finish of the race was the clock and I was running after the race was done, about 50 metres more.
"I think I could go even quicker because I'm not in the best of shape right now and I slipped at the start a little bit. I'm probably only 70 per cent fit and I've got a lot of work to do and need to buckle down right now."
The last 100 was run in 8.70, considerably faster than his world record time of 9.69 that won Olympic gold last August.
"Oh wow - that's good," he said after being informed of the time.
Last month, Bolt crashed his BMW into a ditch along a highway and required minor surgery on his left foot after stepping on to thorns while getting out of the wreckage.
Hundreds of fans lined the route yesterday in the narrow street bisecting the city as the sun re-emerged after heavy rain had blighted the heats, which Bolt did not have to enter.
Marlon Devonish second
Marlon Devonish of Britain was second in 15.07, followed by Ivory Williams of the United States and Britain's Rikki Fifton in the four-man race.
Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie of The Bahamas won the women's race in 16.54 ahead of Britain's Olympic 400 champion Christine Ohuruogu, who finished in 17.10.
Bolt made a quick dash from the center to Old Trafford to attend Manchester United's player of the year awards ceremony. He saw his favourite team win the Premier League title on Saturday from the directors' box.
"It is a great honour for me to be around the players because I've seen these guys on TV every day," Bolt said. "I'm used to people coming to me, but for me meeting the players is such a great thing."
Earlier, the man hailed as the world's greatest long-distance runner, Haile Gebrselassie, won the Great Manchester Run by 34 seconds, but a strong wind stymied his attempt to regain the 10-kilometre world record.
The 36-year-old Ethiopian was on target to better the 10K road race mark of 27:01 set in March by Micah Kogo of Kenya until he came up against a strong headwind as he headed to the finish. He crossed the line in Manchester city centre in 27 minutes, 39 seconds.