IN 2004, Jamaican Asafa Powell arrived atCrystal Palace for the first time; viewed by
fellow competitors as a new talent, he wasthe man to beat and a strong medal con-
tender for the upcoming OlympicGames in Athens. These views werenot unfounded with Powell stormingto 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 ofhis Jamaican compatriot UsainBolt. But it is well documentedthat the pair are good friends,with Powell insisting that Bolthas helped him to relax more,which in turn is seeing him tearup the track.
Fast forward to now andPowell arrives to familiar sur-roundings in a familiar position,as the hunted rather thanhunter. The records show thathe has run the two-fastest timesof the year so far, but what theyomit, due to wind assistance, isthat he has actually run one-tenth of a second faster; in Oslohe equalled his personal best of9.72 seconds.
“I’ve been performing verywell,” said Powell.
“My training has been goingwell and the season has beengoing well, so I just want to con-tinue with that. I just want to getbetter and better as the seasongoes by... and faster and fastereach competition.
“It’s fabulous competing herebecause the support is here.
There’s a big Jamaican support in the UK. TheBritish, everyone, they really love us and support usa 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 greatplace for track and field, so it’s a great place for usto be when we are competing – that’s what I reallylike about competing in the UK.”
Powell will take on a familiar adversary at theupcoming Aviva London Grand Prix, in the form ofAmerica’s Tyson Gay. The pair have met 14 timesand it is Gay who has a slight edge, leading 8-6, butPowell insists he is only racing against himself.
“Well, he’s a great competitor but you know I’mthere 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 raceand I just want to be the one who is on top.
“With or without him, I’m going out there torun fast. It doesn’t really matter but you knowsometimes when you have stronger competitors inthe race with you, it kind of pushes you a bitmore. You know you’re a professional athlete soyou really have to compete with or without strongcompetition.”
ance by Nicola Sanders in the 400metres, a win for Mo Farah in the5,000 metres, despite strong windsdiminishing his chances of breakingthe British record and a third placefor Phillips Idowu in the triple jump.
The entry of the Aviva LondonGrand Prix in to the SamsungDiamond League ensures inclusion ofan field of elite athletes in 2010,hopefully adding tense head to headsto the timetable and creating more ofa spectacle across track and field.
World indoor and outdoor highjump champion Blanka Vlasic will becontinuing her pursuit to break thehigh jump world record of 2.09m setby Stefka Kostadinova back in 1987.Her best attempt to date was 2.08mset in Zagreb last August, and shehas already cleared 2.06m inFebruary, which suggests theCroatian is in scintillating form.Meanwhile, USA’s Allyson Felix willrun in both the 200m, the distance ofwhich she is a three-time worldchampion, as well as the 400m,which could be a preview of herintentions for London 2012.
Finally, the Friday night starattraction will be in the men’s 100m,
where Asafa Powell will be lookingto avenge the defeat Tyson Gayinflicted on him at the Aviva BritishGrand Prix, in what was billed as therace of the season. In the women’s100m, Carmelita Jeter will arrive inLondon as the first athlete to havewon a Diamond Race, before sheeven heads to the finals in Zurich, asnobody will be able to inflict anydamage on the 11-point advantageshe holds.
The Aviva London Grand Prix is ahighlight in the summer events cal-endar for many Londoners and theirfamilies. The weekend has beengraced with glorious sunshine for thelast two years which has added to thecarnival atmosphere that the eventbrings to town. There’s plenty to dooutside of the scheduled athleticsfrom have-a-go activities and plentyof competitions all situated in scenicparkland which lends itself perfectlyto the fun and games that ensue – allfor free!
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August 2 - 8, 2010 | 45Aviva London Grand Prix athletics special
PRIX IS SPARKLING IN 2010
POWELLin pole position
SPECTACLE: Men’s hurdles
Powell will take on a familiaradversary at the upcomingAviva London Grand Prix, inthe form of America’s TysonGay. The pair have met 14
times and it is Gay who hasa slight edge, leading 8-6
ACTION: Powell
