Asafa Powell crouches next to his World record clock in Gateshead (© Mark Shearman)
In the last few minutes (15:40 GMT) Jamaica’s Asafa Powell, 23, joint holder of the World 100m record, this afternoon equalled** the 9.77 seconds time he shares with World and Olympic champion Justin Gatlin (USA), with a 1.5m/s wind in the Jamaican's favour on this occasion.
“I told them I would do my best, and that was my best”, commented Powell, the Commonwealth Games champion immediately after the race at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix, Gateshead International Stadium (Sunday 11 June), a meeting which is part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour.
You looked so easy –
“That’s the way I run”
And Powell’s message to Justin Gatlin –
“That’s how you run a World record!”
Powell ran his previous World record 9.77 clocking on 14 June 2005 in Athens, Greece, a time which Gatlin equalled** on 12 May 2006 in Doha, Qatar.
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IAAF
NB. Equals World record, subject to usual ratification process