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Powell misses out on sprint record
NOT IN THE MOOD:
The Jamaican sprinter won easily and was happy with his performance, but attributed his lack of a world record to the swirling London wind
AFP, LONDON
Sunday, Jul 30, 2006, Page 22
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Asafa Powell of Jamaica celebrates winning the men's 100m event at the Norwich Union Grand Prix meet at Crystal Palace in southeast London on Friday.
PHOTO: AFP
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Joint 100m world record holder Asafa Powell cruised to victory at the London Grand Prix on Friday but missed out on reclaiming the world mark for himself.
The Jamaican eased to victory in 9.91 seconds, ahead of the US' Leonard Scott (10.01) and Shawn Crawford (10.04) but was below the world record of 9.77 seconds he shares with the absent Justin Gatlin.
"Once I go under 10 seconds I'm quite alright," said Powell after dominating the Crystal Palace race. "I didn't really feel the [world record] mood tonight because the wind was changing."
Meanwhile, Marion Jones believes she can be a force at the 2008 Beijing Olympics despite her career being overshadowed by doping allegations.
The former triple Olympic gold medalist was second in the 100m in a time of 11.02 seconds on Friday and insisted that the Games in China is a realistic target even though she will be 32 by that time.
"It's been a tough time for me but I have faith in God and the people who support me. I'm just trying to focus on the world championships next year and the Olympics in 2008," said the US sprinter.
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Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva reacts after failing to make a new world record jump of 5m and 2cm in the women's pole vault competition at the Crystal Palace athletics Grand Prix in London on Friday.
PHOTO: AP
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Jones has never been convicted of a doping offence, but her former husband Tim Montgomery was banished, and his world 100m record run erased, after evidence linking him with the BALCO steroid scandal.
"I'm a competitor and I like to win," said Jones after running second to Jamaica's Sherone Simpson. "I feel good and I'm getting back into it race by race. I have a lot of supporters around the world and people know the truth. People will say what they want to say, they have their motives."
The US' Tyson Gay upset 200m sensation and compatriot Xavier Carter with victory in 19.84 seconds.
Carter clocked 19.63 seconds -- the second-fastest 200m of all time -- in Lausanne earlier this month but could not repeat that form on Friday.
Although there were no world records, there were plenty of season world bests.
Swedish high jumpers Stefan Holm (2.34m) and Kajsa Bergqvist (2.05m) and polevault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia (4.91m) were on top form as was the US' Sanya Richards in the 400m who clocked 49.05 seconds.
Compatriot Jeremy Wariner went under 44 seconds for the fourth time in his career winning the 400m in 43.99 seconds.
Golden girl Isinbayeva tried and failed to reach 5.02m, a centimeter above her world record mark of 5.01m, but at least she stopped the rot which saw her defeated by Poland's Monika Pyrek three days ago in Stockholm.
It was also a welcome morale booster ahead of the European Championships in Gothenburg which start on Aug. 7.
Along with Holm, Swedish hopes of European glory on home soil were also boosted by Christian Olsson who was an easy winner of the triple jump with 17.42m.
The biggest shock of the evening came in the men's 5000m where Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele was beaten again, this time by the US' Bernard Lagat who came home in 12:59.22.
Bekele was second in 13:00.04.
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