ASAFA Returns!
... makes season debut in Serbia on May 29

Friday, May 11, 2007
 

THE long-awaited season debut of world 100-meter record-holder Asafa Powell in his pet event will take place in 18 days at the second Athletics Bet meet in Belgrade, Serbia.

Hampered by tendonitis in the knee for the past month, the 2006 IAAF Male Athlete of the Year pulled out of three meets - the Mt Sac Relays (April 15), Penn Relays (April 28) and last Saturday's (May 5) Jamaica International Invitational.

However, agent representative of the MVP Track Club Paul Doyle has confirmed that Powell - the 2006 Commonwealth champion who registered a record 12 sub-10 seconds clocking last season, is fully recovered and will run his first competitive 100 meters in just over two weeks.

"Well, his first meet will be in Belgrade on the 29th of May," Doyle told the Observer in an exclusive interview from Doha, Qatar, yesterday. He said Powell's training partner Michael Frater, the 2005 World Championship silver medalist, along with some European athletes, will contest the 100 meters.

"It's sort of a low-keyed meet and as an opener we figured it would be a good start for Asafa... it gives him enough time before the Eugene (Oregon, USA) meet, the Prefontaine Classic (on Sunday, June 10)," Doyle added, noting that the Jamaican star will have 12 days between both meets.
He also disclosed that Powell will compete at this year's first Golden League meet - the Exxon Mobil Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway - on June 15.

Powell - who twice equalled his world record 9.77secs on June 11 in Gateshead, England, and August 18 in Zurich, Switzerland, becoming the first man to legally run under 9.8 seconds on three occasions - won a share of the US$1-million Golden League jackpot by winning all six races in the series last season.
American quarter-milers Sanya Richards and Jeremy Wariner, who experienced similar success on the European Circuit, shared in the jackpot.

Doyle said Powell, who was sidelined for roughly three weeks because of the knee injury, after recording two personal best 400 metres times in January (47.67secs) and February (47.17 secs) has been running full tilt in training under the guidance of renowned coach Stephen Francis and his staff.

"He's actually been training fine now," Doyle said, adding that "for the past week or so, he's been able to go 100 per cent.
"His block-starts has been great and he's run some all-out 300 metres as well and everything is holding up with the hamstring and the knee, so he seems to be back to 100 per cent and working hard to make up for the three weeks (training) that he missed," Doyle said.

With a career 25 sub-10 second clockings to his credit, which ranks him fourth on the all-time list behind American Maurice Green (52), Trinidad & Tobago's Ato Boldon (28) and Namibia's Frank Fredericks (27), Powell will be aiming to become the first Jamaican to win a world 100m title in Osaka, Japan, from August 25 and September 2.