Usain Bolt wins 100m race on Brazil’s Copacabana Beach

After a summer of not competing, aside from a short appearance in the Commonwealth Games 4x100m relay, Usain Bolt has opened his racing season on Copacabana Beach in Rio. The beach track has been set up each year to get spectators out, watching races and is usually a popular attraction.

This year was no different, as spectators flocked to the beach to watch the Jamaican sprint star race to an easy victory over three competitors. The temporary track is only four lanes wide.

The race comes two years ahead of the 2016 Olympics which the city will host.

Slightly disappointing to spectators was Bolt’s modest — by his standards — 10.06 clocking. Many were likely hoping to see a sub-10 performance from the world record-holder, a feat that is still relatively uncommon even at the professional level.

Bolt has raced on the beach track before. Last summer, the track was setup for a special 150m race which the sprinter won, a distance he holds the unofficial world record at from a similar event, the Great City Games, in 2009. The Great City Games, held in Manchester, England, are hosted in conjunction with the Great North Run and see a road mile, a temporary sprint showcase and multiple field events comtested in the city’s core.

Other creative ideas for hosting elite track and field events exist both in and outside of Canada. Many elite road miles exist alongside other road running events to highlight top level performers. Although not running related, in recent years the men’s and women’s shot put has been held in the downtown core of Moncton, N.B., at the national championships. Some North American towns also hold pole vault competitions on the beach during summer months.