Usain Bolt crosses the line first in the 100m event at the London Anniversary Games in a time of 9.85 seconds.

Story highlights

Usain Bolt wins 100m at Diamond League event in London Olympic Stadium

Bolt returning to the scene of his triple gold triumph in 2012

Meeting dubbed London Anniversary Games and is a sell out

Kirani James impresses in the men's 400m

CNN  — 

Usain Bolt returned to the scene of his triple gold medal triumph at the 2012 London Olympics Friday and did not disappoint a capacity crowd soaking up a large dose of nostalgia at a Diamond League meeting.

Bolt strode out to win the 100m in his fastest time of the year of 9.85 seconds, recovering from a sluggish start to leave his rivals trailing.

His victory in the London Anniversary Games came exactly a year since Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony kicked off a memorable 17 days for the host nation.

The track and field competition at the Games was the hottest ticket in town, with Jamaica’s Bolt the ultimate star attraction.

He duly obliged by winning the 100-200m sprint double and then helping his country to relay gold so his appearance at a regular meeting in Britain for the first time since 2009 was always going to act as a draw.

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Bolt had opened the meeting by being paraded around the stadium in a mocked up giant rocket ship and as he was announced to the crowd, thousands of flash bulbs lit up the arena, their focus on the man in lane five.

Once the race was underway, Michael Rodgers of the United States was quick out of his blocks, but Bolt’s giant stride overhauled him in the closing stages.

Rodgers took second in 9.98 seconds with Nesta Carter of Jamaica in third in 9.99 seconds.

Bolt has made a slow start to his 2013 campaign, losing at an earlier Diamond League meet to American Justin Gatlin, but with the world championships in Moscow just around the corner, he looked back to his best.

“It’s wonderful to be back here. I had a bad start but that’s never the best part of my racing,” Bolt told BBC Sport after crossing the line in his customary first place.

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Earlier, 2012 400m gold medalist Kirani James of Grenada won his specialist event in 44.64 seconds, while Bohdan Bondarenko of the Ukraine took the men’s high jump with 2.38m.

Bolt’s young teammate Warren Weir also impressed over 200m with a classy 19.83 clocking.

Zuzana Hejnova of the Czech Republic set a season’s best time in the women’s 400m hurdles when she beat home hope Perri Shakes-Drayton in 53.07 seconds.

For the knowledgeable track and field crowd watching, it was a chance to relive last year’s incredible heroics and soak up the atmosphere again.

Britain’s double Olympic 5,000 and 10,000m champion Mo Farah will be the star attraction in Saturday’s program, which also includes women’s heptathlon gold medal winner Jessica Ennis-Hill.