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20 April 2024

Powell sees Jamaican 100m domination at worlds

Jamaica's Steve Mullings, right, competes and wins the 100-meter race over Tyson Gay, of the U.S., despite both finishing with an identical time of 10.26 seconds at the Adidas Grand Prix track and field meet on Randall's Island in New York. (AP)

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By AFP

Former 100m world record-holder Asafa Powell predicted Jamaicans would dominate the 100 metres at the upcoming World Championships in South Korea with US star Tyson Gay out of the picture.

Gay has a hip injury and is unlikely to compete at the World Championships in late August and early September at Daegu after pulling out of the US championships, helping give new Jamaican 100m champion Powell his confidence.

"It's just a Jamaican thing," Powell said. "I hope we can take it 1-2-3-4."

Powell said. he is yet to return to full fitness, even after his victory over Yohan Blake in the 100m final at the Jamaican Championships on Friday.
Powell pulled a hamstring three weeks ago at a meet in Rabat, Morocco. He stopped just as he came out of his drive phase and grabbed his right hamstring as he walked across the finish line in 36.13.

But Powell, who qualified for the World Champonships in South Korea with his victory Friday night, is hopeful of being at his best next Thursday when he races at Lausanne.

"Hopefully I can be 100 percent by then, because I was not training properly for the past couple of weeks," Powell said.

Powell won the Jamaican 100 crown in 10.08 seconds Friday with Yohan Blake second in 10.09 and Steve Mullings third in 10.10.
"That race should have been a lot easier, but I got a bad start, and I had to run towards the end," Powell said.
"When I came out of my drive phase I saw myself pulling them in so I was not concerned with the bad start."

On the track Saturday, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Kaliese Spencer set up a chase for doubles in Sunday finals.
Campbell-Brown, who won the 100 in 10.84, reached the 200m final by winning her semi-final heat in 22.79.

Kerron Stewart, who won the second semi-final heat in 22.78, and Sherone Simpson, who found her way out of lane one in 22.88, are Campbell-Brown's top rivals in Sunday's final.
On the men's side, Steve Mullings and Nickel Ashmeade, the first man to run sub-20 this season, won their semi-finals. Mullings won the first in 20.25 while Ashmeade ran 20.41 to win the second.

Spencer, who won the 400m hurdles on Friday, won her 400m semi-final heat in 50.71 seconds.
Lansford Spencer set the pace for men's 400m hurdles finalists.