Powell to miss 100m

Dinesh WEERAWANSA

The world’s fastest man in 2011 - Asafa Powell became the first ‘injury victim’ with less than 48 hours to go for the start of the 13th IAAF World Championship which begins in Daegu, South Korea on Saturday. A nagging groin injury has forced the world’s leading sprinter to withdraw from men’s 100m event.

Powell, the former 100m world record holder and bronze medallist in the event at the 2007 and 2009 World Championships, is the fastest man this season clocking 9.78 seconds.

Doyle Management, the firm which represents Powell as his agents announced that the injury has forced Powell to withdraw from the 100m event to a nagging groin strain. Powell suffered a groin strain in Budapest on July 30 and has had a recurring tightness and pain ever since.

Powell missed eight days of training after the Budapest tragedy and could attempt to sprint again. On his return to the track, he was able to sprint but this exacerbated the groin injury according to his agent. Sources said Powell received “all sorts of treatment over the past two weeks” in the hope of preparing to run the 100m in Daegu. But a half-fit Asafa finally decided today that he would skip the men’s 100m as he would not be at his 100 percent best and may have trouble coming back after each round.

The absence of Powell would brighten the chances of Usain Bolt to become the fastest man at the Daegu 2011 World Championships. Bolt has had a relatively conservative season thus far as he heads towards the defence of the 100m and 200m titles he won at the last World Championships in Berlin two years ago.

The only meeting this season between the two Jamaican sprint merchants took place at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Rome on May 26, when Bolt won narrowly clocking 9.91 seconds after getting a poor start. Powell was second with a time of 9.93 seconds.

Another positive factor that takes Bolt closer to the men’s 100m gold will be the absence of another of his perennial rivals, American Tyson Gay. The former world 100 and 200m champion is the second fastest 100m sprinter this year with a dash of 9.79 seconds at a meet at Clermont, Florida. But since then he has given up all thought of competing this season as he recovers from a hip operation. The absence of both Powell and Gay would certainly make Bolt’s title defense in the short sprint easier.

Taking the US challenge in the men’s 100m will be their national champion Walter Dix, who won the US title in a season’s best so far of 9.94, and former Olympic champion Justin Gatlin, who returned to the track this season after a four-year suspension. Gatlin’s time as runner-up in the trials, 9.95, is his best so far this season.

Bolt has emphasised his determination to repeat his victory, if not his time, of two years ago.

The World 100 and 200m champion, appearing with other Jamaican athletes in front of a packed media throng in the Daeduk Cultural Centre today has agreed with Tyson Gay’s reported prediction that he would win again in Daegu because of his “championship pedigree.”

“I proved it twice so I guess he knows what he’s talking about,” Bolt was quoted as saying. “At Championships I believe I am much more focused,” he said. “Even when I’ve not been doing well in training, and I’ve been messing up, when it comes to a championship I have a real focus because I want it really bad. “Now I want it even more because I want to be a legend. I’ve been working this week. I’m focused and I’m ready so - I’m going to get it done.” Bolt said.

But Bolt remained non-committal, when questioned about Powell’s withdrawal from the men’s 100m at the World Championships. Bolt, who has only managed a relatively conservative 9.88s this season, 0.69 slower than the World record he set in Berlin two years ago, said that he has been working hard to regain form after recovering from an injury.

‘Athletic fever’ is gradually reaching its peak with only a couple of days to go for the opening of the world’s greatest track and field extravaganza. Most of the participating athletes have already arrived in Daegu and the Local Organising Committee of Daegu 2011 hosts a ‘Welcome Night’, in Duryu Park tonight, ahead of the official opening ceremony of the World Championship at the Daegu Stadium before the evening session of competition on Saturday.

Meanwhile, six of athletics biggest stars, representing each of the six IAAF areas, joined IAAF President Lamine Diack to celebrate the “final lap” of the Athletics World Plan 2003-2012.

After the presentation on the final day of the 48th IAAF Congress, Meseret Defar, Allyson Felix, Fabiana Murer, Steven Hooker, Koji Murofushi and Andreas Thorkildsen met with members of the international press to discuss their plans and preparations for the meet.