Bolt wins 200 at track worlds in 19.40

DAEGU, South Korea, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Usain Bolt won his first gold medal at the world track-and-field championships in South Korea Saturday in a photo finish in the men's 200-meter dash.

Bolt finished in a blazing 19.40 seconds despite a slow start, the fourth-fastest 200 in history and 3/10ths of a second ahead of American Walter Dix.

Christophe Lemaitre of France came in third with at 19.80 seconds.

Bolt set the world record in the 200 of 19.19 two years ago and won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing three years ago with a 19.30.

Also on Saturday, the United States won the women's 4x400-meter relay for the third consecutive year over Jamaica and Russia.

Sally Pearson of Australia won the women's 100-meter hurdles in a meet record 12.28 and Asbel Kiprop captured the men's 1,500 meters.

On the field side, Matthias De Zordo of Germany won the gold in the men's javelin and Anna Chicherova of Russia narrowly beat reigning champ Blanka Vlasic of Croatia in the women's high jump.