Perhaps hampered by a left hamstring injury that forced him out of the Jamaican International Invitational on Saturday, Usain Bolt needed a late rally to edge fellow Jamaican Kemar Bailey-Cole in a photo-finish at Wednesday night's 100 meters at the Cayman Invitational.
Bolt started slowly in his 2013 debut, but accelerated at the 60-meter mark before overtaking the lead from his training partner. Both Bolt and Bailey-Cole finished in 10.09 seconds.
"It wasn't the best start of the season," Bolt said. "It was good to get a win but now it's time to go back to the drawing board."
Bolt, who declared himself fully healed from the hamstring injury in Tuesday's pre-race press conference, wanted to produce a time ahead of Tyson Gay's 9.86 at Saturday's meet in Kingston. Instead, all hopes for Bolt faded with a pedestrian start.
Bolt, the world-record holder in the 100 meters with a time of 9.58 seconds, finished with one of the slowest times of his career. By comparison, Bolt ran the 100 in 10.03 at the 2007 Vardinoyiannia, in one of his first attempts at the distance in his international career.
Unwilling to risk further damage to his hamstring by running the curve, Bolt is currently taking a break from running the 200. Bolt, the defending Olympic champion in both the 100 and 200 meters, is scheduled to compete in six events in 2013.
In the womens' 100-meters, Carmelita Jeter of the United States became the first female sprinter this year to break 11 seconds in the race, as she set the meet record with a time of 10.95 seconds. Jeter, the silver medalist at the London Olympics in the 100, won the Cayman Invitational last year in 11.04 seconds. Jeter narrowly defeated Barbara Pierre of the United States (11.02) and fast-closing Kerron Stewart of Jamaica (11.10).
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