The three fastest men ever cruised through their opening 100 metres heats under clear blue skies at the start of the Olympic athletics programme on Friday.
Jamaican 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell has withdrawn from all competition until late June so he can recover from a pulled chest muscle, his manager told Reuters on Monday. His race with American world champion Tyson Gay is expected to be one of the highlights of the Olympic Games, which begin on August 8.
The flying Jamaican took a massive 0.11 seconds off the previous record mark he ran to win the Olympic gold medal in Beijing one year ago to the day. That left defending champion Tyson Gay a distant second even though the American's time of 9.71 was the third-fastest ever. Asafa Powell of Jamaica was third in 9.84.
Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay safely negotiated the first heats of the 100 metres on Saturday but former world record holder Asafa Powell had a real scare on the opening day of the world athletics championships.
Former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell believes his rivalry with the current number one Usain Bolt could mirror that of some of the great boxers -- if he can be bothered to build up the hype.
Former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell believes his rivalry with the current number one Usain Bolt could mirror that of some of the great boxers -- if he can be bothered to build up the hype.
Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt predicted on Tuesday he could reduce his own world 100 metres record to 9.54 seconds when the right opportunity comes.
Asafa Powell will take on fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt over 100 metres in what should be the highlight of the London Grand Prix on July 24, organisers said on Wednesday.
Tyson Gay ran a world leading 9.77 seconds to win the 100 metres at Rome's Golden Gala on Friday and show Olympic champion Usain Bolt that he will not surrender his world sprint titles without a fight next month. The American had to be in good form to see off Bolt's Jamaican compatriot and former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell, who ran 9.88 despite saying beforehand was not fully fit after suffering an ankle injury over two months ago.
World record holder Usain Bolt barely broke sweat despite the sweltering temperatures to cruise through the Olympic 100 metres heats along with compatriot Asafa Powell and world champion Tyson Gay on Friday.
Former world record holder Asafa Powell won his third consecutive 100 metres race of the season at the Monaco Grand Prix on Monday in his last major meeting before the Beijing Olympics starting next week. The Jamaican Commonwealth champion clocked 9.82 seconds, his best time this year. Only compatriot Usain Bolt, who took the world record from Powell on May 31, and American world champion Tyson Gay have run faster in 2008.
Carolina Kluft achieved what no heptathlete had managed and won her third successive world title with the highest score of her career.
World record holder Powell clocked 10.01 seconds in the quarter-final heats while Gay won his heat in 10.06.
Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell raced through stifling Japanese temperatures to ease towards their much-anticipated 100m showdown.
Out of the two world records held by track superstar Usain Bolt, his 100m dash timing of 9.58 seconds stands more likely to be broken than the 200m mark of 19.19secs, his fellow Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell said on Friday.
The American was due to face world record holder Usain Bolt and fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell in front of a capacity 50,000 crowd.
Asafa Powell equalled the second fastest time ever over 100 metres when he clocked 9.72 seconds at the Lausanne grand prix.
Usain Bolt collected his third Olympic gold medal when he helped Jamaica smash the world record to win the men's 4x100 meters relay on Friday.
World champion Tyson Gay failed to qualify for the 100 meters final at the Beijing Olympics on Saturday.
Jamaica's Asafa Powell beat compatriot and world record holder Usain Bolt in the men's 100 metres at a Grand Prix meeting on Tuesday.
The world record holder was denied the opportunity to extend his 23-race 100m winning streak in Yokohama after making a second false start.
Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell's Olympic preparations suffered a slight setback on Friday when he pulled up in his heat of the 100 metres at Rome's Golden Gala with a groin strain. The former world record holder finished fifth in the heat despite pulling up abruptly at the end and qualified for the final with a time of 10.19 seconds.
World 100 meters record holder Usain Bolt defeated his closest rival Asafa Powell to qualify for the Beijing Olympics on Saturday. In what had been billed as the clash of the world's two fastest men, Bolt ran 9.85 to finish first in Jamaica's Olympic trials, while Powell, the former record holder, clocked 9.97 seconds.
The two fastest men in the world will go head-to-head on Saturday when world record holder Usain Bolt runs against Asafa Powell in the Jamaican Olympic trails.
The two fastest 100 metres sprinters, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, could race in Jamaica later this month.
Usain Bolt established himself as the fastest man on the planet on Saturday by setting a world record in the 100 metres. Now the 21-year-old Jamaican has his eyes on a bigger prize -- Olympic gold in athletics' blue ribband event.
A tantalising maiden world title rather than another world record is Asafa Powell's priority this year, according to the Jamaican sprinter's manager.
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt ramped up his preparation for the Rio Olympics as he recovered from a stumble to win the men's 100 meters at the inaugural Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Jamaica.
Jamaican world record holder Asafa Powell and US sprinter Sanya Richards were voted best by Track & Field News magazine.
The Jamaican set the record of 9.74 seconds and then was back on the track some 90 minutes later to run 9.78 in the final.
The American stayed on course for a world championship sprint double by qualifying fastest for the 200 metres final.
American Tyson Gay surged past Jamaica's Asafa Powell to win gold in the men's 100 meters at the world championships.
Ethiopia's Meseret Defar smashed her own 5,000 metres world record by nearly eight seconds and Jamaica's Asafa Powell cruised to a sub-10-second victory in the men's 100 at a Golden League meeting on Friday.
Justin Gatlin clocked 9.88 seconds to outperform Asafa Powell in separate 100m races
Three-time world champion Maurice Greene remained on course for an unprecedented fourth successive 100m title. Tim Montgomery also qualified for the semis easily.
Usain Bolt's startling 9.69-second run at the Olympics has inspired Jamaican compatriot Asafa Powell to target 9.59 for the 100 metres.
He won the world 100 metres gold medal in the biggest winning margin in the history of the championships.
The 23-year-old Jamaican destroyed his rivals in Zurich to equal the record of 9.77 seconds he shares with American Justin Gatlin.
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