“I needed today’s win for my confidence,” Powell said. “That is most important in order to get really good times.”
Bolt was somber. “I’m disappointed,” he said. “My start was not good enough. That was the key tonight. I was also disturbed by the false start. I could not focus at 100 per cent.”
Earlier, Dayron Robles missed his world 110-metre hurdles record by just 0.04 seconds, winning the race in 12.91. The Cuban, who set the world record last month in Ostrava, Czech Republic, beat four Americans in the race. David Oliver (13.04) and Aries Merritt (13.33) also made the podium.
Robles’s time is the fourth fastest in history, tied with Colin Jackson of Britain. Liu Xiang of China ran a 12.88 and Dominique Arnold of the United States clocked 12.90 in 2006.
Yelena Isinbayeva and Meseret Defar of Ethiopia also set stadium records.
Yelena gets gold
Isinbayeva cleared 4.85 meters to win the women’s pole vault and her second diamond in Stockholm. The Russian broke her world record in Rome last week with a 5.03 effort.
“It was a good competition, but a little bit too cold when I tried at 4.95,” she said.
Defar missed fellow Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba’s world 5,000 record by 1.45 seconds, winning the race in 14:12.60 for another stadium record. Dibaba set the world record in Oslo, Norway, last month.
Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner won his third straight 400, but failed to improve the stadium record he set last year. The American eased up near the finish and crossed in 44.29. It was 0.39 off his meet record that earned him a diamond last year.
Abubaker Kaki, a 19-year-old from Sudan, picked up the first diamond of the evening by winning the 1,000 meters in 2:13.93. He also got his name engraved on a large silver trophy, the Dickson Trophy, that was first contested in a mile race in 1895.
“It was my first 1,000 (outdoors) ever,” Kaki said. “I tried to beat the world record, but it’s very hard to beat. Still, I’m very happy with my performance.”
Previous winners of the Dickson Trophy include British great Sebastian Coe, the London Olympic 2012 chairman who watched the race from the stands as a guest of honour, John Walker of New Zealand, Filbert Bayi of Tanzania, and Said Aouita of Morocco.
