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BEIJING. — Jamaica’s Usain Bolt ran the fastest time of the year in 19,55 seconds to win a record fourth straight world 200 metres title and sweep the individual sprints at a major global championships for a fifth time yesterday. Five days after beating Justin Gatlin to win the 100 metres, the 29-year-old Olympic champion and world record holder again proved too strong for the in-form American, who finished second in 19,74.

Anasco Jobodwana took bronze in 19,87 for South Africa ahead of Panama’s Alonso Edward, who was awarded the same time but lost out on a medal by two 1 000ths of a second. Jobodwana’s time was 19,861 and Edward 19,863. The victory gave Bolt a record-extending 10th world championship gold medal and he could yet win an 11th as part of Jamaica’s 4×100 metre relay team tomorrow.

The victory also meant Bolt has now remarkably won 11 of the last 12 individual Olympic and world sprint titles since shooting to fame at the Beijing Games, his only blip coming after a false start in the 100m at the 2011 worlds in Daegu. Bolt, who had only run one race at the distance coming into the championships after an injury- disrupted season, once again produced the goods when it really mattered. — Reuters/AFP.