Justin Gatlin continued his unbeaten season by winning a 100m in a world-leading 9.86 seconds (video here) in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on Tuesday.
Gatlin, the reigning Olympic bronze medalist and World silver medalist, bettered his previous season’s best of 9.87. Gatlin was put into the Ostrava field after Usain Bolt pulled out of the meet two weeks ago due to a lack of training after an early season foot injury. Bolt hasn’t raced since he went head to head with a bus in Buenos Aires on Dec. 14 and appears to be out into July, if not later.
Gatlin owns the four fastest 100m times in the world this season going into next week’s U.S. Championships. He may get his toughest test against Tyson Gay on July 3 in Lausanne, Switzerland, in Gay’s return from a doping suspension.
Also in Ostrava, Olympic decathlon champion Ashton Eaton clocked a personal best 48.94 in the 400m hurdles (video here), a non-decathlon event. Eaton, who finished third, is focusing on the 400m hurdles this season, taking a break from the decathlon in a year without an Olympics or World Championships.
Eaton ranks No. 9 in the world in the event this year and third among Americans, behind only Olympic silver medalist Michael Tinsley and 2005 World champion Bershawn Jackson.
Allyson Felix held on to win a 200m in 22.75 by .04. Felix, coming back from a torn hamstring at the World Championships on Aug. 16, ran 22.44 on May 31 and 22.73 last Wednesday. The world leader is fellow American Tori Bowie, who has posted 22.18.
“Getting there, you know, gradually,” said Felix, who is putting more emphasis on the 400m this season. “I’m just trying to keep making steps.”
LaShawn Merritt won a 400m in 44.16 (video here). Merritt, the 2008 Olympic champion and reigning World champion, owns four of the five fastest times this season.
Ukraine’s Bohdan Bondarenko, who made attempts at the high jump world record in New York on Saturday, wasn’t near the 20-year-old mark of 2.45m in Ostrava. He cleared 2.33m for the win but failed at three attempts at 2.40m.
Olympic pole vault champ Renaud Lavillenie of France cleared 5.83m for a victory.
Hansle Parchment won the 110m hurdles in 13.18, one tenth better than the fastest man this year, France’s Pascal Martinot-Lagarde. Beijing Olympic champ Dayron Robles was seventh in 13.76.