2110: Well, that's your lot from me tonight. Thanks for all the tweets and texts. Bolt may not have won in his usual style, but credit to Powell for pushing him all the way. Elsewhere, a great leap by Idowu and decent run by Davies on an otherwise mediocre night for the Brits in Rome. Next up for the Diamond League is Eugene in the US of A on Saturday, 4 June. Jess Creighton will be in the live chair for that one.
From alexcaplan on Twitter:
"I feel rather underwhelmed by that. After his last few races, every time Bolt runs we expect something very special."
2105: Bolt is still in the stadium doing a few local TV interviews as the crowd, that was actually judged to be around the 47,000 mark, start to drift away.
2100:BBC commentator Steve Cram on the 100m: "Asafa Powell froze again when it looked like a great victory was his to be had. He has done that before when the field starts coming towards him, and you could see him tie up. I am not sure Bolt will be too happy with that. He was poor out of the blocks even if he did pick up towards the finish. He is definitely going to have to go away and work hard on that. By his very high standards you could almost call it average. I have no doubt there is more to come from him. But if Tyson Gay was watching, he would be pretty pleased and thinking 'Bring it on'."
2059: Final race of the evening and Chris Brown of the Bahamas wins the non-Diamond League 400m in 45.16 seconds. Britain's Martyn Rooney was in contention coming off the final bend but faded in the final 70m to finish in 46.12.
2055: Very much an early season race then for Bolt. A tremendous comeback, which I'm sure will have encouraged him, but he was pedestrian out of the blocks and really struggled to get into his running.
From Azza_M on Twitter:
"God knows what Powell must be thinking right now. He must have thought he had that! Bolt was just crazy coming back then."
2052: A win is a win though and that's four Diamond League points for Bolt, who is lapping up the attention. Powell, who leads the standings after his win in Shanghai, ran 9.93.
2050: Powell immediately grabs hold of his countryman and smiles are exchanged but the former world record holder must be wondering what he has to do to beat Bolt. Lemaitre gets third by the way in 10.00.
2049: Bolt takes it in 9.91 seconds but he's shaking his head as he crosses the line. He was slowly away and at halfway the race was Powell's. Bolt glances over, grits his teeth and finds a bit of something from who knows where.
2048: USAIN BOLT WINS 100m 2047: The roar for Bolt? About as loud as for Bowe, who won the 200m. Powell got a decent reception too. On yer marks then...
2045: We're in Italy, so we're running a touch late. But no worries eh? Let's have a look at the competition...there's France's Christophe Lemaitre - he's the European champion don't forget. The other side of Bolt is double Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson and then there's Asafa Powell.
2043: The crowd is on its feet and Usain is responding in his usual downbeat style - bit of robotic dancing that Peter Crouch would be proud of before flashing that winning smile of his to the cameras. And the women, and probably some men too, go wild as the most famous torso in the world is given an airing.
2041: As good a sprint finish as that was, it's time for the real sprinters to take centre stage.
Here comes Usain. 2040: Imane Merga from Ethiopia, who was Mr Consistent last year, winning the Diamond, sprints away from teenager Isaiah Koech over the last couple of hundred metres to win in 12:54.22. Excellent effort from Kenya's Koech though.
2035: Just two laps left in the 5,000m and the pace is winding up. Chepkok leading the way from Merga but 17-year-old Koech is still in touch at the bell. A big sprint coming up. Here we go.
Nick via text on 81111: "I've just watched the 800m. Please can you explain to me the point in the pacemaker? Why does he/she train for years and then just run half a race? I don't get it."
2031: Men's 5,000m on track, so time to give you a little reminder that the men's 100m is coming up in 15 minutes. Also time to tell you where Idowu's leap stands in comparison to his medal-winning performances...Idowu jumped 17.62m to win Olympic silver in 2008, 17.73m to win the World Championship gold in 2009, and set his personal best of 17.81m when he won the European Championships in Barcelona last July.
2028: Croatia's Blanka Vlasic is unstoppable in the high jump. Another victory for her tonight with a 1.95m clearance. She's carrying on and jumping for fun.
2026: And that's big from Idowu in the triple jump. He hits the board spot on and hops, skips and jumps his way to a massive 17.59m. His first-round 17.25m had been eclipsed by four centimetres by Sweden's Olsson but the London-born Idowu responded in fine fashion.
2021: Well, that was 200m too far for Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross after their 400m exploits some 45 minutes ago. Take nothing away from American Knight though who ran a storming bend. Kerron Stewart of Jamaica was second, ahead of Bahamas sprinter Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie with Felix in fourth.
2020: BIANCA KNIGHT WINS WOMEN'S 200m 2018: Michael Rimmer disappointed a little, coming home in 10th in 1:47.68. Will mop up the rest of that race in a few minutes - races coming thick and fast - women's 200m up next. And that means Felix v Richards-Ross II.
2017: Bit of a surprise winner there - the American kept his head while everyone else seemed to get caught up in a furious race. He launched off the final bend to win in a time of 1:45.09.
2015: KHADEVIS ROBINSON WINS 800m 2013: Unbelievable pacemaking - 49.83 through the first 400m - Rimmer in third with 200m to go.
2011: A smidgin over half an hour to the main event of the evening. Bolt v Powell in the 100m coming up at 2045 BST. In the meantime, we've got Britain's Michael Rimmer going in the 800m. It's a tough field though, led by Asbel Kiprop, the Olympic champion.
2009: The Bahrain athlete kicks away from the field, to win in 4:01.60 Mekerem Assefa of Ethiopia was second. Pre-race favourite Mishchenko was caught up in the fall at the back 500m from home and trailed in fourth. Dobriskey in 10th at a little over 4:06.
2007: MARYAM YUSUF JAMAL WINS 1,500m 2006: Bit of tumble near the back. Dobriskey hurdles over Ethiopia's Kalkidan Gezahegne as Jamal takes it on at the bell.
2003: Another Brit in action as Lisa Dobriskey sets off in the 1,500m. Race favourite Anna Mishchenko of the Ukraine sticking towards the back with Dobriskey in the opening couple of laps.
2001: Phillips Idowu has leapt 17.25m in his first triple jump effort of the competition. He was few centimetres short of the take-off board and was technically not that great according to BBC commentator Stuart Storey - let's hope for a bit more then.
1957: Lolo Jones had the best start but she broke down in the middle of the race, hitting the fourth hurdle from home as Harper came up on to her shoulder and the Olympic champion came through to win in 12.70 seconds from Kellie Wells in second. Britain's Tiffany Ofili-Porter stopped the clock on 12.91 seconds
1955:DAWN HARPER WINS 100m HURDLES 1953: No Diamond League points on offer for that 200m victory. The next event does count though. It's the women's 100m hurdles with Lolo Jones, Dawn Harper and Kellie Wells going head-to-head. Britain's
1949: The crowd goes absolutely bananas as Italy's Andrew Howe takes the 200m. "You won't get a more popular victory than that all evening, even Usain Bolt," screams Crammie above the noise. Not so good for the Brits. Malcom was sixth in 20.95 and Baptiste trailed in last in 21.16
From Dan, in Hemel via text on 81111: "Alison Felix is poetry...pure athletic poetry."
1945: A non-Diamond League event up next. It's the men's 200m and I'm only really bringing it to your attention because there's a bit of British involvement in the shape of Christian Malcolm and Leon Baptiste. America's Shawn Crawford, who won Olympic gold over this distance in Athens in 2004 and silver in 2008, is the only man in the field to have gone under 20 seconds.
1942: The triple jumpers are being introduced to the crowd. Among them is Britain's world and European champion Phillips Idowu. 2004 Olympic champ Christian Olsson of Sweden also jumping. I'll keep you posted on his progress.
1939: "That was really impressive," says Crammie. "Felix ran a really controlled opening 200m. Amantle Montsho was always going to be the main danger but over the last 40m she just opened up those legs and went away. That is a very good performance from Felix. What is she going to do at the Olympics? 200m, 400m or both?" For the record, Felix stopped the clock on 49.82 seconds. Shakes-Drayton a very respectable sixth with a personal best of 51.47.
1936: ALLYSON FELIX WINS 400m 1935: Britain's Perri Shakes-Drayton is a late addition to the 400m line-up. She travelled out as a reserve and will go on the inside lane. America's Felix looking cool as you like. Debbie Dunn, who ran the fastest time of 2010 on her outside. Here we go...
1929: Couldn't have imagined Carl Lewis doing that in his prime. Hope he can back it up on the track in a little over an hour. Next up on track is an intriguing women's 400m.
1925: A huge, and entirely unexpected roar from the near 40,000 crowd inside the Olympic Stadium in Rome. Ah...it's Usain. He's being driven round the track on the back of a little buggy. Big waves to the crowd, a couple of salutes and he's not even holding on to the back of the cart...careful big fella - don't want you tumbling off.
1922: The Kenyan wins her second Diamond League race of the season with some ease in the fastest time of the year, in a little over nine minutes 12 seconds. Ethiopia's Sofia Assefa comes home second, ahead of Turkey's Habiba.
1921: CHEIYWA WINS WOMEN'S 3,000m STEEPLECHASE 1918: Women through the first kilometre in three minutes flat, which BBC commentator Stuart Storey called suicidal. The pace slackens through the next kilo as the pacemaker drops off leaving Commonwealth champion Cheiywa to lead from two Ethiopians.
1914: The women's 3,000m steeplechase is underway and the pacemaker has taken them out at a ridiculously fast pace. It features Hallamshire Harrier
Hatti Dean who knocked eight seconds off her British record last summer, dropping it to 9:30.19 as she finished fourth at the European Championships in Barcelona. The 29-year-old will probably have to knock at least another eight off it today if she's going to get anywhere close to the leaders who are looking for a time around 9:10 according to Crammie. Kenya's Milcah Cheiywa will be the one to beat, having won in Doha earlier this month.
1912: "A lot of speculation about what Usain Bolt will be wearing tonight. You'll have to stay with us to find out," says BBC Sport commentator Steve Cram, with an element of mystery in his voice - think he may know something I don't. That 100m coming up at
2045 BST in case you're a latecomer.
1908: An outstanding run by Greene who was comfortably in second place and looked to be closing on the South African as they approached the final barrier but Van Zyl kicked away to take the win.
1906: A third run of under 48 seconds this season for the South African who wins in 47.91 seconds. And a great run by Britain's Dai Greene who comes in second in 48.24 ahead of America's Angelo Taylor.
1905: LJ van Zyl WINS 400m HURDLES.
Philippe, optimistic French fan, Liverpool via text on 81111: "Anyone fancy Lemaitre to cruise past Bolt and Powell tonight?
1900: First up tonight then is the men's 400m hurdles. South Africa's LJ van Zyl appears to be the man to beat - he's set the three fastest times of the year so far. Expect fierce competition from America's respective Olympic and world champions Angelo Taylor and Kerron Clement. Commonwealth and European champion Greene leads the British challenge which also features fellow Welshman Rhys Williams.
From Azza_M on Twitter:
"Bolt will win, only a couple of 10ths difference but it'll be pretty quick. Powell is going to want to prove a point."
1852: Other highlights for this evening include the women's 100m hurdles which features the five fastest athletes in 2011. World indoor champion Lolo Jones is again billed as the one to beat, but she was only third on her Diamond League debut in Doha as Kellie Wells set the quickest time of the year at 12.58 seconds. If you give this page a little manual refresh, the pictures should appear at the top - there's 10 minutes to the first race of the evening.
1850: Anyway, have I mentioned Mr Bolt yet? It's fair to say I'm a little excited about seeing the triple Olympic and world champion amble down the track. It feels like it's been a while. Any predictions on a time? Will Asafa come close?
1847:
There's more. Lots more.
But first a bit of housekeeping. I can't get through this without a little help from my friends. That's you folks. To get involved use Twitter (via hashtag
#bbcathletics
) or text me on
81111 (UK) with ATHLETICS before your message.
1842: What do you mean that's not enough? You want to see some Brits? Well, I got them too. World triple jump champ
Phillips Idowu makes his first outdoor appearance of the year,
Lisa Dobriskey takes on seven of the world's top 10 1,500m athletes (2000 BST) and European and Commonwealth 400m hurdles champion
Dai Greene goes up against the reigning Olympic and world champions in the first event of the meeting at 1903 BST.
1838: So, what's on the menu this evening? Well, can I interest you in a little
Usain Bolt for the main course?
The fastest man on the planet makes his first appearance of the season and will take on former world record holder, and fellow Jamaican, Asafa Powell over 100m at
2045 BST. Before that, there's a double sprint showdown between Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Rose. The respective 200m and 400m world champions do battle over both distances in the space of 45 minutes from
1930 BST.
1835: Evening all. The sun has made a somewhat miraculous appearance outside my window in the last few minutes. I say miraculous because we have been hit by a deluge of rain this afternoon that only the gardeners of the world love. I digress. We've got 25 minutes to the start of the third Diamond League meeting of the in Rome. We'll have live TV pictures from 1900 BST on the red button, unless you have Freeview. Either way you can watch on this website in the UK.
1830: Storms-a-plenty here in London but will there be any Lightning in Rome tonight?
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