Bolt wins 100-metre sprint at Toronto

Usain Bolt, right, beats Shawn Crawford to the finish line to win the 100-metres at the Festival of Excellence on Thursday night. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

Usain Bolt won the men's 100-metre sprint in the inaugural Festival of Excellence at Toronto on Thursday night.

Bolt, the world record holder and winner of three gold medals at last summer's Beijing Olympics, ran 10.00 seconds in a steady rain at Varsity Stadium.

"It felt good," he said. "I think I should have done a little better.

"For me, it is all right. I got through it injury free, so that is a good thing."

"It [the rain] threw me off a little bit, but not much," Bolt continued. "I have been there before.

"This is a part of the game вЂ" some days you have a good day, some days you have a bad day. I guess I will put this down as a bad day for me."

Bolt, 22, was the marquee attraction at the meet, which featured 50 Olympians.

The Jamaican superstar reportedly pocketed $250,000 for appearing in the event, held at the revamped 6,500-seat facility.

"Just looking at the crowd, you can see it is pretty much all Jamaicans, so it is just a great feeling," Bolt said on the TV broadcast. "The people have just been wonderful, so thanks for coming out and supporting me вЂ" I always try to do my best at all times."

Shawn Crawford of the United States finished second in 10.25, and Ivory Williams of the U.S. took third in 10.28.

Jared Connaughton of New Haven, P.E.I, and Toronto's Anson Henry were sixth (10.51) and seventh (10.57), respectively.

Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, from Whitby, Ont., won the women's 100-metre hurdles in 12:86, follow! ed by Pe rdita Felicien of Pickering, Ont., was second in 12:88.

The men's mile went to Nate Brannen of Cambridge, Ont., in a time of 3:55.07.

With files from The Canadian Press