Bolt to return to U.S. for New York race in June

[March 25, 2015]  (Reuters) - Olympic champion and world record holder Usain Bolt will make his first appearance in the United States in five years when he competes in the Adidas Grand Prix Diamond League meeting in New York City on June 13, organizers said on Wednesday.

The Jamaican sprinter set his first 100 meters world record at the meeting in 2008 when he clocked 9.72 seconds. His only other appearance in the U.S. since then was to anchor a Jamaican 4x100 meters team at the 2010 Penn Relays.

“No one could ever forget their first world record, and I will never forget the crowd in New York that night,” Bolt said in a statement.

“They had to wait for an hour during a thunderstorm delay before our race, and I don’t think a single person left the stadium. They deserved a great performance, and I’m glad I was able to give it to them. I’m looking forward to running in New York again.”

Organizers did not announce whether Bolt would run over 100 or 200 meters in the meeting at New York's Icahn Stadium.

He holds the world record in both, having run 9.58 seconds in the 100 and 19.19 in the 200 in 2009.

Bolt, who won Olympic gold in both sprints and the 4x100 relay in the Beijing and London Games, will begin his 2015 sprint season with a 100 meters in Rio on April 19.

The 28-year-old Bolt also has announced races for Paris on July 4 (100 meters) and Lausanne on July 9 (200) as he prepares for August's world championships in Beijing.

(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; editing by Justin Palmer)

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