Bolt opens season with quick 400 metres

Triple World and Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt opened his season with a meet record 45.86 seconds for 400 metres at the Camperdown Classic on Saturday.

"I guess I am getting there," Bolt told reporters. "I never felt as good as I wanted to, but it was a good race.

"My coach spoke to me about running the first 200 metres too hard, so I tried to pace myself and bring it home nice and smooth," said the 100 and 200 metres world record holder, who runs the 400 early in the season as part of his training.

Racing in lane four, Bolt established a commanding lead down the backstretch, then cruised to the fastest 400 metres run at the six-year-old meeting.

The 22-year-old covered the distance in 46.35 seconds at the classic last year. His personal best is 45.28 in 2007.

Bolt's coach, Glen Mills, told reporters earlier this week he was satisfied with the sprinter's training so far.

"His training has been going well and he is healthy," Mills said. "This year is really not an intense one."

Bolt said Mills would determine whether he participates in the Commonwealth Games in India in October.

"My coach decides what I do, and he is putting a lot of thought into participating at the games," Bolt said. "I am not even sure when and where my first 100 metres race of the year will be."

His only announced competition on the new Diamond League circuit is a 100 metres race at the Adidas Grand Prix in New York on June 12.

Saturday's race is likely to be his only one at 400 metres, Bolt said.

"I pulled out of the UWI (University of the West Indies) meet next week because it clashed with some sponsors' duties ... and I should have run the 400 metres there, so I guess that I will not be doing any more 400 metres for the rest of the season."

Although current holder Michael Johnson and others have suggested Bolt could break the 400 metres world record, the Jamaican said his coach would also have final say as to whether he would push harder in the distance.

"That will be decided by the coach, and he has told me not to worry as if I am ever going to take up the 400 metres, he would design a brand new training program for me," Bolt said.

"Right now I am just concentrating on the next World Championships (in 2011) and Olympics (in 2012)."