Powell starts Olympic season with a bang

[Hortical]

Thu Feb 21, 8:20 AM E


Jamaican Powell starts Olympic season with a bang
Published: Friday, 22 February, 2008, 07:34 AM Doha Time

MELBOURNE: Jamaican world record holder Asafa Powell got his Olympic preparations off to a flying start with an emphatic win in his first 100m race of the year here yesterday.

Powell put aside concerns over a cut left knee, which forced him out of last weekend's Sydney track meet, to run a meet-record 10.04 seconds in the Melbourne IAAF Track Classic.

The 25-year-old had a long warm-up session and went on to decimate a field that included fellow Jamaican Michael Frater and former Australian record holder Matt Shirvington.

Powell had the race at his mercy within 20 metres and never let up, with Frater a distant second in 10.25 and Shirvington third in 10.35.
"I'm very surprised because I haven't done anything for two weeks and tonight's the first time in spikes since then-it was way faster than I thought," Powell said.

His likely match-up with American 100m world champion Tyson Gay, who had his measure last year in Osaka, shapes as one of the most anticipated events of the Beijing Olympics.

"It's very important (running here) for my training," Powell said.
"I came to Australia to train and race and my training wouldn't be complete if I didn't run here.
"It proves I'm way faster than 2006. I haven't done anything in two weeks -- 10.04 is very impressive.
"This year I'm way, way stronger than the last few years. I've just got to stay on the track."

Powell's winning time was only one-hundredth of a second slower than the 10.03 he ran to win the Commonwealth title here two years ago. He holds the world record of 9.74,
which he ran in Italy last September.

Powell also broke the 10-year-old meet record of 10.06 set by former Olympic and world champion Maurice Greene of the United States.
Elsewhere, Olympic and world champion Jeremy Wariner from the United States won the 400m in 44.82 and Australian Craig Mottram powered away in the final 250 metres of the 5000m to win the national title in 13:11.99.
Wariner had been feeling below par since arriving in Australia and needed medical assistance after suffering dehydration following Thursday's race.
But on the track he was untouchable, leaving Australians Clinton Hill (45.78) and Sean Wroe (45.88) to fight out the minor placings.

"I had a great race today, I got to see where I was in my training and now I go back and rest for a couple of days and then get back on the grind," Wariner said.
"This is a really fast start for me this early in February."
Mottram sat on the shoulder of African rival Abreham Cherkos
Feleke before storming away midway through the final lap to beat Kenyan Shadrack Kosgei and Feleke comfortably.

Mottram clocked 13 minutes 11.99 seconds, outside his personal best of 12:55.76 but good enough to suggest his Olympic aspirations are well on track.
New Zealander Monique Williams claimed the women's 200 metre title in 23.75 ahead of Jamaica's Melanie Walker (23.80). (AFP)

RESULTS
MEN
100m: 1. Asafa Powell (Jamaica) 10.04 secs; 2. Michael Frater (Jamaica) 10.25; 3. Matt Shirvington (Australia) 10.35. 200m: 1. Daniel Batman (Australia) 20.84 secs; 2. James Dolphin (New Zealand) 21.03; 3. Otis Gowa (Australia) 21.17.

400m: 1. Jeremy Wariner (US) 44.82 sec; 2. Clinton Hill (Australia) 45.78; 3. Sean Wroe (Australia) 45.88. 800m: 1. Lachlan Renshaw (Australia) 1 min 45.79 secs; 2. Nick Bromley (Australia) 1:47.05; 3. James Kaan (Australia) 1:47.62.

1500m: 1. Andrew Baddeley (Britain) 3 mins 38.24 secs; 2. Bernard Kiptanui Kiptum (Kenya) 3:39.41; 3. Brad Woods (Australia) 3:40.08. 5000m: 1. Craig Mottram (Australia) 13 mins 11.99 secs; 2. Shadrack Kosgei (Kenya) 13:13.51; 3. Abreham Feleke (Ethiopia) 13:18.47.

400m Hurdles: 1. Tristan Thomas (Australia) 50.66 secs; 2. Brendan Cole (Australia)
50.67; 3. Dane Richter (Australia) 51.05. High Jump: 1. Nick Moroney (Australia) 2.18 metres; 2. Chris Armet (Australia) 2.18; 3. Kane Brigg (Australia) 2.18.

Long Jump: 1. Robert Crowther (Aus) 7.91 metres; 2. Fabrice Lapierre (Aus) 7.86; 3. Mitchell Watt (Aus) 7.72. Pole Vault: 1. Steven Hooker (Australia) 5.82 metres; 2. Matthew Boyd (Australia) 5.20; 3. Joel Pocklington (Australia) 5.05. Shot Put : 1. Scott Martin (Australia) 21.27 metres; 2. Justin Anlezark (Aus) 19.68; 3. Chris Gaviglio (Australia) 18.75.

Javelin Throw: 1. Mike Hazle (US) 80.84 metres; 2. Jarrod Bannister (Aus) 80.78; 3. Stuart Farquhar (New Zealand) 78.12.

WOMEN
100m: 1. Andrea Miller (New Zealand) 11.69 secs; 2. Crystal Attenborough (Australia) 11.74; 3. Fiona Cullen (Australia) 11.77.

200m: 1. Monique Williams (New Zealand) 23.75 secs; 2. Melanie Walker (Jamaica) 23.80; 3.Crystal Attenborough (Australia) 24.18.

400m: 1. Tamsyn Lewis (Australia) 51.55 secs; 2. Sherone Simpson (Jamaica) 51.74; 3. Makelesi Bulikiobo (Fiji) 53.00. 1500m: 1. Renee Kalmer (South Africa) 4:09.83 secs; 2. Georgie Clarke (Australia) 4:12.86; 3. Nikki Hamblin (Britain) 4:17.01. 100m Hurdles: 1. Andrea Miller (New Zealand) 13.33 secs; 2. Dedeh Erawati (Indonesia) 13.85; 3. Lauren Foote (Australia) 15.08.

3000m Steeplechase: 1. Donna MacFarlane (Australia) 9 mins 29.93 secs; 2. Li Zhenzhu (China) 9:56.73; 3. Zhu Yanmei (China) 9:57.24.
Discus Throw: 1. Song Aimin (China) 63.06 metres; 2. Dani Samuels (Australia) 61.92; 3. Sun Taifeng (China) 58.90.

[Hortical]

Nuttin less than the gold medal in Beijing.

[Mosiah]

400m: 1. Tamsyn Lewis (Australia) 51.55 secs; 2. Sherone Simpson (Jamaica) 51.74; 3. Makelesi Bulikiobo (Fiji) 53.00.

Is Sherone back? That's a pretty good time!