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Usain Bolt ‘rusty’ in first race of 2016

BEIJING, CHINA - AUGUST 23: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates after winning gold in the Men's 100 metres final during day two of the 15th IAAF World Athletics Championships Beijing 2015 at Beijing National Stadium on August 23, 2015 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for IAAF)
BEIJING, CHINA – AUGUST 23: Usain Bolt of Jamaica celebrates after winning gold in the Men’s 100 metres final during day two of the 15th IAAF World Athletics Championships Beijing 2015 at Beijing National Stadium on August 23, 2015 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for IAAF)

By Nick Zaccardi From NBC Sports

Usain Bolt called his first race since Aug. 29 “rusty,” a 100m win in 10.05 seconds at the Cayman Invitational on Saturday night.

Watch his race here.

The six-time Olympic champion grimaced after crossing the finish line against a lackluster field, saying minutes later that it wasn’t a smooth sprint, as he expected after a long offseason.

“What time did I run?” Bolt asked an interviewer. “I didn’t even know. … I’m just glad I got out of that one injury-free.”

Bolt’s stated goal was to clock 9.91 seconds, making a bet with friends before the meet.

“I need to get a few more races under my belt,” Bolt, who dealt with an ankle injury in the winter, said Saturday night. “By [Olympic] trials time, I’ll be ready.”

In 2012, Bolt ran 9.82 and 10.04 in his first two 100m races of that Olympic year.

Earlier Saturday, the second-, third- and fourth-place finishers at the 2012 Olympics also raced 100m at different meets.

Silver medalist Yohan Blake ran 10.03 with a legal tailwind in Germany. Bronze medalist Justin Gatlin ran 9.94 with no wind in Shanghai. Fourth-place Tyson Gay ran 10.03 in Florida, according to L’Equipe.

Bolt is next scheduled to race a 100m on Friday in Ostrava, Czech Republic, against a field that includes Olympic decathlon champion Ashton Eaton.

He’s preparing for the Jamaican Olympic Trials from June 30-July 3, when the top three in the 100m and 200m are expected to make the Olympic team.

For more on this story go to: http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2016/05/14/usain-bolt-wins-cayman-invitational-100-meters/

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