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IN 2004, Jamaican Asafa Powell arrived at Crystal Palace for the first time; viewed by fellow competitors as a new talent, he was the man to beat and a strong medal con- tender for the upcoming Olympic Games in Athens. These views were not unfounded with Powell storming to victory in the 100m and cement- ing his talent on British soil. Since then the 27-year-old has been living in the 6’5” shadow of his Jamaican compatriot Usain Bolt. But it is well documented that the pair are good friends, with Powell insisting that Bolt has helped him to relax more, which in turn is seeing him tear up the track. Fast forward to now and Powell arrives to familiar sur- roundings in a familiar position, as the hunted rather than hunter. The records show that he has run the two-fastest times of the year so far, but what they omit, due to wind assistance, is that he has actually run one- tenth of a second faster; in Oslo he equalled his personal best of 9.72 seconds. “I’ve been performing very well,” said Powell. “My training has been going well and the season has been going well, so I just want to con- tinue with that. I just want to get better and better as the season goes by... and faster and faster each competition. “It’s fabulous competing here because the support is here. There’s a big Jamaican support in the UK. The British, everyone, they really love us and support us a lot so I love coming here to compete. “To be honest, when I’m in the UK I feel at home. I feel like I’m in Jamaica. “Everyone seems to just love the Jamaican ath- letes. It’s a great place to compete, it’s a great place for track and field, so it’s a great place for us to be when we are competing – that’s what I really like about competing in the UK.” Powell will take on a familiar adversary at the upcoming Aviva London Grand Prix, in the form of America’s Tyson Gay. The pair have met 14 times and it is Gay who has a slight edge, leading 8-6, but Powell insists he is only racing against himself. “Well, he’s a great competitor but you know I’m there to compete and I’m there to win, so I defi- nitely will not focus on any one person, or any- thing like that. There’s a lot more guys in the race and I just want to be the one who is on top. “With or without him, I’m going out there to run fast. It doesn’t really matter but you know sometimes when you have stronger competitors in the race with you, it kind of pushes you a bit more. You know you’re a professional athlete so you really have to compete with or without strong competition.” ance by Nicola Sanders in the 400 metres, a win for Mo Farah in the 5,000 metres, despite strong winds diminishing his chances of breaking the British record and a third place for Phillips Idowu in the triple jump. The entry of the Aviva London Grand Prix in to the Samsung Diamond League ensures inclusion of an field of elite athletes in 2010, hopefully adding tense head to heads to the timetable and creating more of a spectacle across track and field. World indoor and outdoor high jump champion Blanka Vlasic will be continuing her pursuit to break the high jump world record of 2.09m set by Stefka Kostadinova back in 1987. Her best attempt to date was 2.08m set in Zagreb last August, and she has already cleared 2.06m in February, which suggests the Croatian is in scintillating form. Meanwhile, USA’s Allyson Felix will run in both the 200m, the distance of which she is a three-time world champion, as well as the 400m, which could be a preview of her intentions for London 2012. Finally, the Friday night star attraction will be in the men’s 100m, where Asafa Powell will be looking to avenge the defeat Tyson Gay inflicted on him at the Aviva British Grand Prix, in what was billed as the race of the season. In the women’s 100m, Carmelita Jeter will arrive in London as the first athlete to have won a Diamond Race, before she even heads to the finals in Zurich, as nobody will be able to inflict any damage on the 11-point advantage she holds. The Aviva London Grand Prix is a highlight in the summer events cal- endar for many Londoners and their families. The weekend has been graced with glorious sunshine for the last two years which has added to the carnival atmosphere that the event brings to town. There’s plenty to do outside of the scheduled athletics from have-a-go activities and plenty of competitions all situated in scenic parkland which lends itself perfectly to the fun and games that ensue – all for free! * Tickets for the Aviva London Grand Prix at the Crystal Palace on August 13 and 14 are available by phone on 08000 556 056 or online at www.uka.org.uk August 2 - 8, 2010 | 45 Aviva London Grand Prix athletics special PRIX IS SPARKLING IN 2010 POWELL in pole position SPECTACLE: Men’s hurdles Powell will take on a familiar adversary at the upcoming Aviva London Grand Prix, in the form of America’s Tyson Gay. The pair have met 14 times and it is Gay who has a slight edge, leading 8-6 ACTION: Powell
