Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com

Powell and Campbell take over the short sprint rankings

Thursday, August 3, 2006

by: Gary Smith
Caribbean Net News Sports Correspondent
Email: gary@caribbeannetnews.com

FLORIDA, USA: Jamaica's joint world record holder Asafa Powell and countrywoman Veronica Campbell, the Olympic 200m champion from Athens, Greece, are the new leaders over the 100-metre dashes, according to the latest IAAF 100m Event Rankings.

Following his recent winning performance, which now sees his winning streak stretching to 11 consecutive victories, Powell jumped ahead of American World and Olympic champion Justin Gatlin, the man he currently shares the world record with, at 9.77 seconds, after impressive performances in Stockholm and London, where he punched in 9.86sec and 9.91sec for two quality victories.

Powell now has 1431 points, 28 more than he had in the previous rankings, and five more than the previous world leader Gatlin, who is currently under investigation, following his recent conformation that he failed a doping test in April.

The other Caribbean male athletes in the top ten are Jamaicans Dwight Thomas, a former national sprint double champion and World silver medallist Michael Frater, who are in fourth and seventh respectively. Thomas, however, slipped one place from third, while Frater moved up from eighth place.

Meanwhile, Campbell, who has been out of competition with an injury since June 11, went past French star Christine Arron, despite not gaining a single point in the rankings.

Campbell stays at 1368 points, while Arron slipped to third with 1364. American World champion Lauryn Williams stays in second, while in-form Jamaican sprint double world leader Sherone Simpson, a member of the same training group as Powell, leaped one place to fifth, following her latest win at the Crystal Palace Norwich Union London Grand Prix, last month.

Bahamian veteran Chandra Sturrup slipped two-places to seventh, while her more mobile countrywoman, Debbie Ferguson, is stable at ninth with 1295 points.

Print Page