 The end of the 2008 athletics season saw Bolt compete in the ÅF Golden League , beginning in Weltklasse Zürich . Despite having the slowest start among his competitors in the 100 m race , he still crossed the finishing line in 9 @.@ 83 s . Even though the time was slower than both his newly set world record and Asafa Powell 's track record , it was still among the top @-@ fifteen 100 m finishes by any sprinter to that date . Bolt admitted that he was not running at full strength , suffering from a cold , but he had concentrated on both winning the race and finishing the season in good health . At the Super Grand Prix final in Lausanne , Bolt ran his second @-@ fastest 200 m with a time of 19 @.@ 63 s , equalling Xavier Carter 's track record . However , it was the 100 m final , featuring Asafa Powell , that drew the most interest . Powell had moved closer to Bolt 's world record after setting a new personal best of 9 @.@ 72 s , reaffirming his status as Bolt 's main contender . Bolt 's final event of the season came three days later at the Golden League final in Brussels . This was the first 100 m race featuring both Bolt and Powell since the final in the Olympics . Both Jamaicans broke the track record , but Bolt came out on top with a time of 9 @.@ 77 s , beating Powell by 0 @.@ 06 s . Victory , however , did not come as smoothly as it had in Beijing . Bolt made the slowest start of the nine competitors and had to recover ground in cold conditions and against a 0 @.@ 9 m / s headwind . Yet the results confirmed Jamaican dominance in the 100 m , with nine of the ten @-@ fastest legal times in history being recorded by either Bolt or Powell . On his return to Jamaica , Bolt was honoured in a homecoming celebration and received an Order of Distinction in recognition of his achievements at the Olympics . 
