Asafa Powell at the pre-meet press conference in Rome (© Bob Ramsak)
Asafa Powell has his sights firmly set on a World record this season but, speaking here today on the eve of his first ÅF Golden League appearance of 2008, it wasn’t the 100m mark that was on his mind. The longstanding men’s 4x100m record, set by the United States in 1992, and equalled by the US a year later, is in Powell’s sights.
Following a chest injury, Powell appears in only his third competition since February, when he takes on Nesta Carter and Derrick Atkins, respective winners in Berlin and Oslo in the opening two ÅF Golden League fixtures, in the ‘28th Golden Gala Kinder+Sport’ meeting in the Olympic Stadium.
The former 100m World record holder declined to specify a time he was aiming for but held nothing back with regard to his goal for the Jamaican national relay squad.
“We are going to be doing a lot of work on that because we have the potential to break the World record,” Powell said. “We have two of the fastest men in the world and we have other athletes who are running very fast.”
Carter is among them while Usain Bolt, who succeeded Powell as World record holder with his 9.72 run in New York in May, is also Jamaican. Michael Frater, third in the National Championships and picked to join Bolt and Powell for the 100m at the Olympics in Beijing next month, is also in the line-up here tomorrow.
Powell emphasised that the individual event was still his main goal for Beijing but added that serious practice would take place with a view to erasing the relay mark of 37.40 set by Mike Marsh, Leroy Burrell, Dennis Mitchell and Carl Lewis in winning Olympic gold in 1992. It was equalled in 1993, in the semi-finals of the World Championships in Stuttgart, by Jon Drummond, Andre Cason, Mitchell and Burrell.
“Better when the attention is not on me” - Powell
In the Jamaican Championships two weeks ago, Powell had to settle for runner-up spot (9.97) behind Bolt (9.85). He said then that he was “playing safe” coming off an injury and he said today that was “feeling good” but was “not 100 per cent yet.”
While Powell has been working his way back to full fitness, not only has Bolt taken his World record** but Tyson Gay, the world champion, has broken the US record (9.77) and set the fastest time in any conditions (9.68/+4.1), both performances coming in the national Olympic trials. The shift in attention pleases Powell.
“I guess it is a lot better when the attention is not on me,” he said. “I prefer it that way. I am a lot more comfortable now. I can relax and focus on my form and technique and just focus on running fast.”
Of his aims for tomorrow night, Powell was reluctant to give anything away: “I just want to go on the track and do the same thing that I do in practice,” he said. “Once I do that, and go back to the warm-up track and coach says ‘that’s fine’, that will be ok. I don’t normally look for times – I just go there and run and anything I get I have to take it.”
“More expectation and more anxiety” for Robles
While Powell has lost a World record, Dayron Robles has gained one, taking the 110m Hurdles mark out of the hands of Liu Xiang from China and giving it to Cuba with his 12.87 run in Ostrava on 12 June. Since then, Robles said today, he has had to adjust to the position of being a World record holder.
“Breaking a World record** is definitely a pleasure but, after any pleasure in life, there are some problems,” Robles said as he prepared to compete here tomorrow. “In this case there was speculation and attitudes and these can somehow affect you, but not to the point of damaging your pleasure at being a world record holder.
“The expectation on my performance is very high. The race will be a show, a big entertainment, because there will be lots of athletes – especially from the States – competing. The fact that I will not be able to meet Liu Xiang before the Olympics is creating more expectation and more anxiety.”
David Powell for the IAAF
**NOTE. World record subject to usual ratification procedures