BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) Usain Bolt ran the season's fastest time in the 100 metres at the Van Damme Memorial yesterday and was still upstaged by Jamaican training partner Yohan Blake, who ran the second fastest 200 in history.

The 21-year-old Blake took Bolt's advice on board and ran a contained curve before blasting for the line in 19.26 seconds, just .07 seconds off Bolt's world record.

"I think all the tutoring just stopped," Bolt said, knowing he had probably discovered his toughest challenger for sprinting domination at the London Olympics.

Blake surprised many by winning the 100 world title after Bolt false started in the final in Daegu three weeks ago. Now he has more than made his mark over 200, where Bolt, the Olympic and double world champion, was long considered to be in a class of his own.

"I knew I could do something crazy," Blake said. "19.2? I was a bit surprised."

From lane seven, Blake had the worst start of the nine runners, bided his time on the curve, and was unstoppable afterward, dipping at the line for a time that everyone thought was only within Bolt's limits.

With 19.26, he improved on his personal best by a massive .52 seconds.

Bolt, who had just run a 9.76 in the 100, could only watch in admiration and surprise.

"It was a good run. It was a big surprise for me," he said.

By that time, Bolt had done his part. From lane five, his start was better than his preceding races but he still needed to fight hard to get level with Nesta Carter. From then on, he surged ahead and did what he promised to do -- get the fastest time of the season.

Bolt's 9.76 improved on the previous mark of fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell by .02 seconds.

"I came here to do it," Bolt said. "I am happy. I got a win and that was needed."

Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele set the fastest time of the year in the 10,000 metres, less than three weeks after stepping out of the World Championships final.

He avenged the first defeat of his career in the 10,000 by coming back with a time of 26 minutes, 43.16 seconds, beating the year's best mark set by Mo Farah by 3.41 seconds.

After he withdrew from the championships in Daegu, Bekele returned to Ethiopia to train, and, cheered by 40,000 fans at the King Baudouin Stadium, took the lead from Kenyan Lucas Rotich with a lap to go to restore his winning ways.

In the women's 100, world champion Carmelita Jeter of the United States underlined her domination. Even though Veronica Campbell Brown had a fast start, Jeter came back and beat her on the line to finish in 10.78, .07 seconds ahead of her Jamaican rival.

In the high jump, Anna Chicherova of Russia beat Croatian rival Blanka Vlasic again. The world champion was in a league of her own at 2.05 metres and even had a narrow miss over the world record height of 2.10.

Sally Pearson of Australia saw a perfect season come to a halt in the last Diamond League when she crashed halfway through the 100 hurdles, letting Danielle Carruthers of the United States speed ahead in 12.65.

 Jamaica's Yohan Blake (left), American Walter Dix (centre) and Jamaican Nickel Ashmeade compete during the men's 200m race at the Diamond League athletics meeting in Brussels yesterday. Blake won the race ahead of Dix and Ashmeade with the second fastest 200m in history at the Diamond League meeting when he sprinted home in 19.26sec, just behind the world record of 19.19sec held by Usain Bolt.

Source: Jamaica Observer