Powell set for Brussels
published: Friday | September 3, 2004

POWELL... faces Olympic rivals in sprint.

IF SHAWN Crawford lives up to his words, Jamaica's fastest man, Asafa Powell, will have to break the world record to win the 100m dash at today's Memorial Van Damme meet, the fifth of this summer's TDK Golden League series in Brussels, Belgium.

"I am going for the record," said Crawford, who finished fourth in the Olympic 100 behind champion and fellow American Justin Gatlin. The world record of Tim Montgomery, set in 2002 in Paris, stands at 9.78.

The Olympics 200-metre champion has five (9.88, 9.89, 9.89, 9.93, 9.93) of the top 13 times in the short sprint this season, but still trails Gatlin's season's best of 9.85 by .03 seconds.

Powell has six sub-10 clockings this year including the national record of 9.91 seconds. Powell, who pulled out of the 200m final and the 4x100m relay at the Olympics, will be seeking to upset Games rival Crawford.

The 21-year-old Jamaican will not only have Crawford as a 'big gun' opponent, but will have to contend with other Americans such as John Capel and Olympic 200m silver medallist Bernard Williams. Also in the top field will be world champion Kim Collins of St. Kitts and Nevis, Frankie Fredericks of Namibia.

Meanwhile, three members of Jamaica's record-breaking 4x100m women's team, Sherone Simpson, Tayna Lawrence and Aleen Bailey, are listed for the women's 100m.

IT WILL NOT BE EASY

The Jamaicans will not have things easy as Olympic silver medallist Lauryn Williams of United States, the world's fastest woman this season Ivet Lalova (10.77) and Bahamian Debbie Ferguson, will be in the field.

Kemel Thompson will be the only Jamaican in the men's 400m hurdles field. He will face Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic, who looks unstoppable this season as he goes in search of the US$1 million Golden League jackpot.

In the women's 100m hurdles, Lacena Golding-Clarke and Delloreen Ennis-London, trying to bounce back from her Olympics disappointment, face Spain's Glory Alozie and top Americans Jenny Adams and Melissa Morrison.

Beverly McDonald will contest women's 200m. She will be up against Belgium's Kim Gevaert and Cydonie Mothersill of Cayman Islands. Jamaicans Davian Clarke, Michael Blackwood and Brandon Simpson, who all reached the men's 400m final in Athens, will face off with Americans Derrick Brew and Jerry Harris.