LONDON, Aug 4: The London Games finally got a fleeting glimpse of the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt on Saturday as the Olympic 100 metres champion enjoyed nothing more than a light canter after a sloppy start to safely reach the semi-finals.

The leading protagonists for Sunday’s blue riband showdown, including world champion Yohan Blake, Jamaican compatriot Asafa Powell and Americans Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay all enjoyed a comfortable passage.

On a track described by the stadium’s PA as a “magic carpet”, Bolt stumbled slightly at the start but still barely broke sweat on a sunny morning for the second day of track and field action.

“I made a bad step. I stumbled a bit. I’m glad it happened now,” the Jamaican said after easing home in 10.09 seconds in the fourth heat.

Bolt shared the stage with South Africa’s “Blade Runner”, Oscar Pistorius, who became the first double amputee to compete on the track at an Olympic Games.

Pistorius, who wears carbon fibre prosthetic blades after being born without a fibula in both legs, qualified for the 400m semi-finals to huge cheers with a season’s best of 45.44 seconds.

British hopes of a gold-tinged evening later on Saturday grew when Jessica Ennis stretched her lead in the heptathlon with two events remaining.

Bolt entered the arena well wrapped up in beanie hat and hooded top as he went through some stretching routines, half-heartedly acknowledging the crowd before touching knuckles with the official behind his starting block.

The Jamaican, disqualified for false-starting in the world final in Daegu, South Korea, last year and entering these Games with doubts over his fitness, said he was “running well” and his training had been “great”.

The semi-finals and final are on Sunday.

Blake looked in good form by clocking 10.0, as did 2004 Olympic champion Gatlin (9.97) who was one of two runners to dip under 10 seconds. American Ryan Bailey signalled that he will be in the medals shake-up by dashing to 9.88, the fastest of the day.

Former world champion Kim Collins was a surprise absentee from the heats with local media reporting that the St Kitts & Nevis runner had fallen out with his country’s officials over a visit from his wife.

The 2003 world champion hinted as much on Saturday when he tweeted: “Even men in prison get their wives to visit. 6 athletes and 9 officials. That ain’t enough to make some people happy. Omg.”—Reuters