ATHENS, July 14: Jamaica’s Usain Bolt laid down another marker for the Beijing Olympics when he ran the fastest 200 metres of the year so far at the Athens Grand Prix on Sunday.

The 21-year-old, who broke the 100 metres world record at the end of May, clocked 19.67 seconds, cruising home to a comfortable victory.

It was a personal best for Bolt and the fifth fastest time ever over the distance.

However, he again played down suggestions that he would soon break Michael Johnson’s 12-year-old record of 19.32.

Cuba’s Daryon Robles also sent out a warning for the Olympics, clocking 13.05 in the 110-metres hurdles. It was well off his world record 12.87, set last month, but still the third-fastest time of the year so far.

“I felt really good. I am working day after day to fulfil my personal objective for the Olympics,” he said.

Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas took the 100 metres for the second year running, clocking 10.10, while Louis van Zyl produced a stirring finish to plough past the Americans Danny MacFarlane and Reuben McCoy to take the 400 metres hurdles.

The South African’s winning time of 48.22 was shy of American Kerron Clement’s 47.79, the best so far this year, but there was a season’s best in the high jump where Sweden’s Stefan Holm cleared 2.37 metres.

The 2007 triple jump world champion Nelson Evora produced a leap of 17.23 to see off Olympic silver medallist four years ago Marian Oprea and the Cuban Arnie David Girat while Louis Tsatoumas gave the home crowd something to cheer when he leapt 8.44 metres, the third best long jump of the year.

Veronica Campbell-Brown made up for disappointment in the same meeting in 2007, winning the women’s 100 metres in 10.92.

Sanya Richards of the US missed out by 0.03 seconds on the fastest time of the year in the 400 metres but still won with something to spare in 49.86.

Men’s:

100 metres: 1. Derrick Atkins (Bahamas) 10.10 seconds; 2. Darvis Patton (US) 10.14; 3. Mark Jelks (US) 10.19.

200 metres: 1. Usain Bolt (Jamaica) 19.67 seconds; 2. Brendan Christian (Antigua & Barbuda) 20.36; 3. Brian Dzingai (Zimbabwe) 20.45.

800 metres: 1. Geyman Lopez (Cuba) one minute 44.07 seconds; 2. Abraham Chepkirwok (Uganda) 1:44.26; 3. Youssef Saad Kamel (Bahrain) 1:44.40.

110-metre hurdles: 1. Dayron Robles (Cuba) 13.04 seconds; 2. David Payne (US) 13.27; 3. Petr Svoboda (Czech Republic) 13.42.

400-metre hurdles: 1. Louis van Zyl (South Africa) 48.22 seconds: 2. Danny McFarlane (Jamaica) 48.67; 3. Reuben McCoy (US) 48.78.

3,000-metre steeplechase: 1. Ezekiel Kemboi (Kenya) eight minutes 09.25 seconds; 2. Tareq Mubarak Taher (Bahrain) 8:11.58; 3. Hamid Ezzine (Morocco) 8:13.20.

High jump: 1. Stefan Holm (Sweden) 2.37 metres; 2. Andrey Tereshin (Russia) 2.30; 3. Dragutin Topic (Serbia) 2.27.

Long jump: 1. Louis Tsatoumas (Greece) 8.44 metres; 2. Ibrahim Camejo (Cuba) 8.27; 3. Brian Johnson (US) 8.10.

Pole vault: 1. Brad Walker (US) 5.90 metres; 2. Igor Pavlov (Russia) 5.75; 3 equal. Derek Miles (US) 5.70, 3 equal.Fabian Schulze (Germany) 5.70.

Triple jump: 1. Nelson Evora (Portugal) 17.23 metres; 2. Marian Oprea (Romania) 16.97; 3. Ndiss Kaba Badji (Senegal) 16.38.

Javelin throw: 1. Eriks Rags (Latvia) 84.38 metres; 2. Aleksander Vieweg (Germany) 83.27; 3. Vadims Vasilevskis (Latvia) 81.92.

Women’s:

100 metres: 1. Veronica Campbell-Brown (Jamaica) 10.92 seconds; 2. Chandra Sturrup (Bahamas) 11.14; 3. Angela Williams (US) 11.15.

400 metres: 1. Sanya Richards (US) 49.86 seconds; 2. Novlene Williams (Jamaica) 50.54; 3. Mary Wineberg (US) 50.78.

800 metres: 1. Zulia Calatayud (Cuba) one minute 59.26 seconds; 2. Elodie Guegan (France) 1:59.68; 3. Kenia Sinclair (Jamaica) 1:59.84.

1,500 metres: 1. Maryam Yusuf Jamal (Bahrain) four minutes 00.67 seconds; 2. Irina Lishchynska (Ukraine) 4:01.61; 3. Daniela Yordanova (Bulgaria) 4:02.37.

3,000-metre steeplechase: 1. Eunice Jepkorir (Kenya) nine minutes 26.56 seconds; 2. Zemzem Ahmed (Ethiopia) 9:29.84; 3. Ruth Bisibori Nyangau (Kenya) 9:30.23.

Javelin throw: 1. Barbora Spotakova (Czech Republic) 63.70 metres; 2. Osleidys Menendez (Cuba) 63.63; 3. Christina Obergfoell (Germany) 63.32.—Reuters