Bolt posts fastest 200 time of the year

L.A. Times Archives

July 14, 2008 12 AM PT

From Times Staff and Wire Reports

Usain Bolt, the 100-meter world-record holder, ran the fastest time in the 200 this year, winning in 19.67 seconds Sunday at the Tsiklitiria Athens Grand Prix track meet.

The 21-year-old Jamaican is now the fifth-fastest man of all time in the 200. His time was the sixth-best ever, with world-record holder Michael Johnson having twice run faster.

Although he started slowly, Bolt had recovered as he came out of the curve, winning by a wide margin ahead of Brendan Christian of Antigua, who was second in 20.36.

Bolt ran 9.72 to set the 100 world record in New York in May. He didn’t run the 100 in Athens.

Bolt also had the previous best time of the year in the 200, running 19.83 in June in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Sunday’s time beat his personal best of 19.75, set at altitude last year.

In the 100, Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas won in 10.10, finishing ahead of Americans Darvis Patton (10.14) and Mark Jelks (10.17).

Atkins, runner-up at last year’s world championships, surged in the second half of the race to win easily.

In the 110 hurdles, world-record holder Dayron Robles of Cuba set a meet record by winning in 13.04 seconds. He ran a 12.87 last month, bettering Chinese star Liu Xiang’s previous record of 12.89.

Olympic champion Stefan Holm of Sweden won the high jump with a world-best mark this year of 7-9 1/4 .

MOTOR RACING

Schumacher, Wilkerson win

Racing on a 1,000-foot strip for the first time in NHRA history, top fuel drag racer Tony Schumacher and funny car driver Tim Wilkerson won their respective classes during the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Morrison, Colo.

Schumacher didn’t need the extra 320 feet of track to get his dragster up to speed, reaching 304 mph in his victory over Antron Brown in the finals.

Following the recent death of Scott Kalitta in a racing accident, the NHRA took an interim step, shortening the length of top fuel and funny car races from a quarter-mile to 1,000 feet.

Wilkerson beat Jack Beckman in the funny car finals even though both smoked tires midway down the track.

Greg Anderson (pro stock) and Matt Smith (pro stock motorcycle) won their classes. Both of those events were run at a quarter-mile.

TENNIS

Santoro repeats as champion

Second-seeded Fabrice Santoro won his second consecutive Hall of Fame Championships title, beating Prakash Amritraj, 6-3, 7-5, at Newport, R.I., to become the second player since 1990 to win an ATP event after his 35th birthday.

The 35-year-old Santoro became the oldest player to win the tournament on the International Hall of Fame’s grass courts. Andre Agassi won three events in 2005 when he was 35.

Juan Martin del Potro won his first ATP title, upsetting second-seeded Richard Gasquet, 6-4, 7-5, in the Mercedes Cup final at Stuttgart, Germany. . . . Third-seeded Tommy Robredo defeated Tomas Berdych, 6-4, 6-1, to win the Swedish Open at Bastad for the second time in three years. . . . Second-seeded Alize Cornet won the Budapest Grand Prix, defeating Andreja Klepac, 7-6 (5), 6-3, for her first victory on the WTA Tour.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

May-Treanor and Walsh win

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won the AVP Crocs Slam Chicago Open for their 16th consecutive tournament title.

They beat Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh, 18-21, 21-17, 21-14 -- their 90th consecutive victory. May-Treanor also became the first woman with 100 career tournament victories.

SOCCER

U.S. women beat Brazil, 1-0

Amy Rodriguez of USC scored in the 71st minute to give the U.S. women’s team a 1-0 win over Brazil in an exhibition at Commerce, Okla.

The U.S., which has posted shutouts in its last six games, is 20-0-1 in 2008. The two teams meet again Wednesday in San Diego in their last match before the Olympics start next month in Beijing.

PRO BASKETBALL

Arenas signs with Wizards

Gilbert Arenas signed his six-year, $111-million contract with the Washington Wizards, securing the return of a franchise player who is accepting less money than he was offered.

Arenas and the Wizards agreed to the deal July 3, but both sides waited until Arenas returned from an overseas trip to settle the details.

The Clippers said guard Eric Gordon would sit out the rest of the NBA Summer League at Nevada Las Vegas because of a strained left hamstring, according to ESPN.com.

Gordon, the team’s first-round draft choice from Indiana, suffered the injury Saturday during a loss to the Charlotte Bobcats.

HOCKEY

Lecavalier signs extension

All-Star center Vincent Lecavalier signed an 11-year, $85-million contract extension that he hopes will keep him in a Tampa Bay Lightning uniform for the remainder of his career.

PASSINGS

Ricketts, 73, former Cardinal

Longtime St. Louis Cardinals coach Dave Ricketts, a catcher on their 1967 World Series championship team, died early Sunday of cancer. He was 73.