Usain Bolt easily won the 100 meters in 9.83 seconds Friday night in the Weltklasse meet, his first competition since record-shattering performance in the Beijing Olympics. Bolt's return was upstaged by Pamela Jelimo, the 18-year-old Kenyan who won the women's 800 in 1:54.01, the fastest time in more than two decades and the third fastest in history at the distance. Jelimo and Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic stayed in contention for the 682,000 Golden League jackpot after both extended their unbeaten run to five at Europe's elite summer meetings.

American sprinters Jeremy Wariner and Lolo Jones got a measure of compensation for their Olympic defeats by winning the men's 400 and women's 100 hurdles, respectively. Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia followed up his 5,000-10,000 gold medal double by running the fastest 5,000 in the world this year.

Bolt, who broke world records in the 100 (9.69), 200 (19.30) and 400 relay (37.10) in China, was the undoubted main attraction for the capacity crowd of 26,000 at a meet that calls itself "the Olympics in one night."

Yet the 22-year-old Jamaican was never likely to threaten the world record time of 9.69 seconds he set in his astonishing run to Olympic gold.

Bolt was slowest of the nine starters to react to the gun, and it was fully 20 meters before he pulled his 6-foot-5 frame into the lead.

He drew clear of Walter Dix of the United States by the 60-meter mark but there was no trademark showboating as he eased smoothly to the line. Beijing bronze medalist Dix was second in 9.99 and silver medalist Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago third in 10.09.

"You can't really compare it to the Olympics," Bolt said. "The Olympics bring so much pressure. It was easy here. As I'm starting to get a cold I was not able to think about any faster time. My coach told me that I should make sure to end the season healthy."

Bolt and his Jamaica team pulled out of a commitment to run the meet-closing 400 relay.

Running minutes before Bolt, Jelimo stepped up from her gold medal effort in Beijing by almost a second to run away from the field in the women's 800.

Her time of 1:54.01 was a new African and world junior record and left her 0.73 seconds outside the world record set by Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983.

"I can tell you I am so tired," Jelimo said. "But this was my best race with the best pacemakers.

"The world record is now closer, but I'm not sure I can do it this year, maybe next."

Jelimo can challenge it again in Brussels, Belgium next Friday at the sixth and final meeting of the Golden League series. Another victory will guarantee the teenager at least $340,000.

American Jeremy Wariner put the disappointment of Olympics defeat behind him to beat his gold medal rival LaShawn Merritt in the 400.

Wariner ran a strong bend to hold at bay Merritt, running lane three inside him, and kicked clear in the final straight to win in 43.82.

"I had Merritt behind me to push me on," Wariner said. "I ran a season best and I plan to improve on that in Brussels and Stuttgart. I want to end up as world number one at the end of the year."

Jones won the 100 hurdles in 12.56. Gold medalist Dawn Harper was sixth.

"The first three days after the (Olympics) race I was pretty sick to my stomach," said Jones, who hit a hurdle in China. "I felt like I was living in a nightmare. You're going to be hurt, but you've got to pick yourself up again."

Sanya Richards in the 400 completed a trio of American sprint winners who bounced back from Beijing defeat. Richards won emphatically in 49.74 seconds - 0.19 faster than her run in the Beijing final - almost a full second ahead of Russia's Tatiana Firova. Olympic silver medalist Shericka Williams of Jamaica was fourth in 51.28.

"I know it's been two weeks but I'm still having nightmares," Richards said. "So to come out today and have a successful run was really meaningful and probably the best therapy for me."

The Weltklasse crowd rose to acclaim Bekele in the 5,000 as the double Olympic champion found a strong final lap to cross the line in 12:50.18, the fastest time in the world this year.

Olympic champ Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain was beaten in the men's 1,500 despite running a season's best 3:32.86, 0.08 faster than his medal-winning time.

Dayron Robles of Cuba was pushed all the way to the line in the 110 hurdles by David Oliver of the United States. Robles finished in 12.97 seconds, one-hundredth ahead of Beijing bronze medalist Oliver.

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Associated Press Writer Frank Jordans contributed to this report.

Written By GRAHAM DUNBAR

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