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Powell now fastest relay leg runner in history
Powell now fastest relay leg runner in history
CMC
Thursday, October 16, 2008
POWELL... ran scorching 8.70secs on anchor leg in Beijing.
MIAMI, Florida (CMC) - Jamaica's former 100-metre world record-holder, Asafa Powell, is now the fastest relay leg runner, according to the USTAF High Performance Registered Split Analysis team.
Powell ran a scorching 8.70 seconds on the anchor leg of the victorious Jamaican Olympic 4x100-metre relay team in Beijing that ran 37.10 seconds to break the USA's long standing previous mark of 37.40 seconds.
Collecting the baton about five six metres in front, Powell powered down the track and opened the gap even further on his way to improving the previous fastest leg, registered by American legend Bob Hayes at the 1964 Tokyo Games.
Hayes' time, initially clocked at 8.50, converted to an official electronic time of 8.74 seconds.
Prior to his leg in the Bird's Nest Stadium, Powell had the second quickest of 8.84 seconds, achieved at the World Championships in Osaka last year, which had pushed him in front of another American legend, Carl Lewis, who ran 8.85 on anchor at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, when the Americans first ran the previous world record.
Lead-off man Nesta Carter (10.41), Michael Frater (9.01), and Usain Bolt (8.98), who won the sprint double in world records and then ran the third leg to send Powell on his way, were the others responsible in Beijing for Jamaica erasing the Americans' world record.
According to statisticians, Bolt, who ran the anchor leg on Jamaica's silver medal winning team as a 15-year-old at the 2002 World Junior Championships, is likely to go as fast 8.60 seconds should he run the anchor one day, since the anchor leg run is typically the fastest split in a sprint relay.
CMC
Thursday, October 16, 2008
POWELL... ran scorching 8.70secs on anchor leg in Beijing.
MIAMI, Florida (CMC) - Jamaica's former 100-metre world record-holder, Asafa Powell, is now the fastest relay leg runner, according to the USTAF High Performance Registered Split Analysis team.
Powell ran a scorching 8.70 seconds on the anchor leg of the victorious Jamaican Olympic 4x100-metre relay team in Beijing that ran 37.10 seconds to break the USA's long standing previous mark of 37.40 seconds.
Collecting the baton about five six metres in front, Powell powered down the track and opened the gap even further on his way to improving the previous fastest leg, registered by American legend Bob Hayes at the 1964 Tokyo Games.
Hayes' time, initially clocked at 8.50, converted to an official electronic time of 8.74 seconds.
Prior to his leg in the Bird's Nest Stadium, Powell had the second quickest of 8.84 seconds, achieved at the World Championships in Osaka last year, which had pushed him in front of another American legend, Carl Lewis, who ran 8.85 on anchor at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, when the Americans first ran the previous world record.
Lead-off man Nesta Carter (10.41), Michael Frater (9.01), and Usain Bolt (8.98), who won the sprint double in world records and then ran the third leg to send Powell on his way, were the others responsible in Beijing for Jamaica erasing the Americans' world record.
According to statisticians, Bolt, who ran the anchor leg on Jamaica's silver medal winning team as a 15-year-old at the 2002 World Junior Championships, is likely to go as fast 8.60 seconds should he run the anchor one day, since the anchor leg run is typically the fastest split in a sprint relay.
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