MOSCOW, Aug 12 — Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt reclaimed his 100 metres world title yesterday and moved one title closer to American legend Carl Lewis’s record world championship haul of eight.

The 26-year-old 100m and 200m world record holder — who also has six Olympic titles — can equal that mark if he retains his 200m title and helps odds on favourites Jamaica win the 4x100m relay next weekend.

Bolt’s presence helped boost the crowd in no uncertain terms after three successive sessions of low numbers and the home crowd were also rewarded with the host nation’s first gold in the shape of 20-year-old Aleksandr Ivanov.

He strolled to victory in the 20km walk.

While Bolt rolled on to six titles, two women celebrated their third world crown, American Brittney Reese in the long jump and Ethiopian distance runner Tirunesh Dibaba in the 10,000 metres.

America collected a second gold in the decathlon as Ashton Eaton added the world crown to his Olympic gold last year and made up for his silver in these championships in 2011.

Bolt, though, was as usual the star turn and having hit his stride passed 2005 world champion Justin Gatlin to win in 9.77 seconds - another Jamaican Nesta Carter was third.

Bolt, ever the perfectionist, felt a little underwhelmed by his performance despite it coming in pretty heavy rain with lightning bolts appropriately flashing around the stadium.

“I am happy but I wanted to do better,” said Bolt.

“My legs were sore after the semi-finals, I don’t know why, but the world record wasn’t on so I came out just to win.

“Back in Jamaica, they do not expect less than that from me. They always expect me to dominate.”

Gatlin, who graciously went up and hugged Bolt and shook his hand afterwards, was left rueing his own poor run-in to the line.

“The last 30 metres I kind of got long in my legs, I didn’t execute well,” said Gatlin, who bounced back from a four-year doping ban to claim Olympic bronze in London last year.

“What I’ve been working on is to attack the track, I went out there to compete in the last half of the race instead of running a technical race and that’s why I got silver instead of the gold.

“I thought I had it for a second but then I saw these long legs coming on my right side!” added Gatlin, whose relations with Bolt have not been the warmest.

While more is expected of Bolt there is also more for the home crowd to look forward to after their athletics pin-up girl Yelena Isinbayeva qualified for the women’s pole vault final.

The cheers that greeted Ivanov will be nothing compared to those that will ring out should the Russian athletics icon win her third outdoor world title tomorrow.

The 31-year-old two-time Olympic champion has suggested she will retire after these championships on home turf and at a stadium where she won her first ever title of any worth.

However, the former gymnast once again cast doubt on that.

“I do not think about the end of my career as I’m a Gemini, the most easily changing sign of the zodiac,” said Isinbayeva. — AFP