The world 100m and 200m record holder, whose last race was a defeat over the shorter distance at the hands of rival Tyson Gay in Stockholm on August 6, recorded a respectable time of 9.91sec to beat his fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell, who clocked 9.93.

"I was nervous, as it was my first race of the season," said Bolt.

"I didn't think it went well and the nerves got to me.

"It was a totally bad race and I'm just pleased I won.

"Today was just to get the cobwebs out. But I got through the race injury free and now I'm just looking forward to the next race."

Despite being slow out of the blocks, he found his rhythm in the second 50m to edge past compatriot  in the final few metres.

France's European champion, Christophe Lemaitre, was third in 10.00.

Bolt, whose 2010 season was brought to a premature end by back and Achilles tendon problems, will continues his Diamond League season in Oslo in Norway on June 9 – all part of a campaign which he hopes will culminate in him defending his world 100 and 200m titles in Daegu in August.

But for another world champion making a return to top class action after a long injury lay-off the evening ended less successfully.


Sanya Richards-Ross, who won the 400m title in Berlin two years ago, could only manage fifth place in a race won by her young United States rival Allyson Felix in a world-leading 49.81.

Felix found the 200-400 double too much for her on the night, however, finishing third at the shorter distance in 22.81 as her fellow American Bianca Knight won in 22.64.

Richards-Ross was fourth in 22.88.

A crowd of 47,000 in the Olympic stadium also saw Britain's world and European triple-jump champion, Phillips Idowu, leap to a world-leading distance of 17.59 metres, some 30 centimetres ahead of nearest rival, Christian Olsson.

Ethiopia's Imane Merga, the 5,000 Diamond Trophy winner from last season, won a high class race which saw six men finish inside 13 minutes.

Merga clocked a world-leading 12min 54.21sec, holding off the challenge of Kenya's Vincent Kiprop Chepkok by just 0.38.

South Africa's LJ Van Zyl continued to show promising form in the 400m hurdles, breaking 48 seconds for the third time this year to win in 47.91, with Britain's European champion Dai Greene second in 48.24.

Renaud Lavillenie, France's European indoor pole vault champion, earned his first Diamond League win with an effort of 5.82m.

World high jump champion Blanka Vlasic added a centimetre to her world-leading mark as she won in 1.95m, while a competitive women's javelin saw the three Olympic medallists from 2008 occupy the podium places, with Russia's Maria Abakumova, who won silver in Beijing, finishing top with 65.40m.

Olympic bronze medallist Christina Obergfoll reached 63.97 and Olympic champion Barbara Spotakova was third with 63.32.

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