Powell fails to better record

Asafa Powell blamed cold weather rather than a restart for failing to break his 100 metres world record for the second time in less than a week at the Van Damme Golden League meeting on Friday.

The Jamaican, who last Sunday lowered his own world record to 9.74 seconds, powered to victory in 9.84 after the restart following a mistake by Briton Marlon Devonish out of the blocks.

Last year the sprinter blamed the starting official at the Brussels meeting for denying him the chance to set a world record. After a slow start he won that race in 9.99 seconds.

"This time it was the weather, not the bad start," Powell told reporters. "Of course, the restart doesn't help, but it was about 10 degrees colder than last week in Italy, so the conditions just weren't right."

Powell hoped to lower his record in the Belgian capital after saying he "sprinted at only about 90

"This (Brussels) is a very quick track and a great place to run with a terrific crowd, so hopefully some day I can achieve a world record here in the future," he said.

Organisers in Brussels had hoped to pit Powell and world sprint champion Tyson Gay against each other but the American, who won the 100, 200 and 100 relay at the world championships in Osaka, decided to skip the meeting.

"That did not affect the race. I was only concentrating on my own race out there," Powell said.

Norway's Jaysuma Saidy Ndure was second in 10.11 seconds with Powell's compatriot Michael Frater third in 10.12 seconds.