Friday, August 18, 2006

by Luke Phillips

ZURICH, Switzerland (AFP): Asafa Powell, the Jamaican 100m world record co-holder with doping-tainted Justin Gatlin, heads up the fourth Golden League meeting of the season in Zurich on Friday but admits he is longing for a beach holiday after a tiring season.

Powell is one of four athletes still in contention for a share of the one-million-dollar jackpot for those who can win all six Golden League meetings.

But the Jamaican said he was focusing on the second part of his season with a race-by-race attitude and not concentrating on netting the money.

"I'm feeling pretty good," said Powell, who has run a world record of 9.77sec twice, firstly in Athens in June 2005 and the second time in Gateshead, England last month.

"I'm looking forward to the second part of the season.

"I think I will run all the Golden League meetings but I am not focused on the jackpot but taking it race by race."

Powell said he was content with his season so far but expressed his anger at the doping scandal hanging over great rival Gatlin of the United States.

"I'm very satisified with my season but I'm going to be happy when it's finished," he said, adding that he had targeted five more appearances after Zurich.

"It's not easy to run nine times under 10sec. My legs are tired and I'm looking forward to going to the beach."

As for Olympic and world champion Gatlin, who matched Powell's world record in Doha in June, the Jamaican said he was upset for fans of athletics.

"I was very shocked, surprised" by the revelation that Gatlin tested positive for testosterone at a meet in April that has left the American facing a possible life ban, he said.

"I'm very, very angry because I was looking forward to racing against him.

"It's very bad for track and field. A lot of people were looking forward to the match-up between me and him."

As for his tactics for Friday's sell-out at the fabled Letzigrund Stadium, where 23 world records, 58 Swiss records, and more than 250 other national records have been set, Powell said he would "try to run as properly as possible".
"I have to be a little cautious and I have to listen to my body."

The 100m features a very strong field that includes Jamaica's Michael Frater and Kim Collins of St Kitts and St Nevis - silver and bronze medallists at last year's world championships.

Newly-crowned European sprint king Francis Obikwelu of Portugal, the Olympic silver medallist, also races along with Americans Shawn Crawford and Leonard Scott, Jamaican Dwight Thomas and Mark Burns of Trinidad and Tobago.

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