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By Ryland James
Stuttgart, Germany - Asafa Powell has leapt to the defence of fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt after former Olympic champion Carl Lewis questioned the sprint sensation's performances in Beijing.
With Bolt back home, Powell again dipped below 10sec in winning the 100m at the IAAF World Athletics Final on Saturday and then said he was disappointed with comments made by Lewis in the United States.
After Bolt had won three gold medals and set three world records in Beijing, the American said anyone who did not question the sudden improvement in the champion's performances was a 'fool'.
"Yes, I am disappointed with the words of a former athlete," said Powell, who had finished fifth in the 100m final at the Olympics, where he also was a member of the Jamaican team that smashed the world record in the 4x100m relay.
"Usain (Bolt) did better than all the other athletes before him and yet he (Lewis) does not manage to believe in him.
"What Usain did does not shock me, because I know how much talent he has and this is the first year he has devoted his training to the 100m."
Powell was responding after Lewis, who won four gold medals at the 1984 Olympics, told Sports Illustrated: "When people ask me about Bolt, I say he could be the greatest athlete of all time.
"But to run 10.03sec one year and 9.69 the next, if you don't question that in a sport with the reputation it has right now, you're a fool. Period."
Former world record-holder Powell won in a time of 9.87sec - the sixth time he has run sub-10sec since the Olympics.
Meanwhile, Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic set a new world javelin record with a throw of 72.28m.
In the men's 400m, America's LaShawn Merritt once again beat two-times world champion and compariot Jeremy Wariner.
Shelly-Ann Fraser followed up her Olympic gold medal by winning the 100m, beating fellow Jamaican Kerron Stewart in 10.94sec.
Sanya Richards beat Olympic 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu, handing the Briton her only defeat of the year. Richards won in 50.41sec on Sunday.
Kenyan teenager Pamela Jelimo made sure of collecting the $1-million she won in the Golden League when she won the women's 800m in a meeting record of 1:56.41. - Sapa-AFP
- This article was originally published on page 1 of The Cape Times on September 15, 2008
Published on the Web by IOL on 2008-09-15 06:55:00