TRACK AND FIELD NEWS

Asafa Powell won the 100 meters at the Rieti Grand Prix in 9.82 seconds on Sunday, failing to reprise his world-record effort at the meet last year.

Powell, who set a then-world record of 9.74 on the same track a year ago, clocked 9.77 in his semifinal heat, but that was still well off the world record of 9.69 set by fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt at the Beijing Olympics last month. Continue

Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt won the 100 metres at the Golden League meet at Brussels on Friday Sep 5th. He finished first in a time of 9.77 as fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell placed second in a time of 9.83 sec. Nesta Carter made it a Jamaican clean sweep, placing third in 10.07sec.

Jamaican Delloreen Ennis-London sustained her winning form when she beat her field in the women's 100 metres hurdles. The 33-year old, who was disappointing in Beijing, clocked 12.65 seconds to reach the line ahead of American Lolo Jones who finished in 12.67 seconds. Spain's Josephine Oniya was third in 12.71 seconds. More Brussells results

At the Athletissima Grand Prix meeting in the Swiss city of Lausanne Asafa Powell ran the second-fastest 100 meters ever when he finished in 9.72 seconds. American Walter Dix finished second in 9.92 seconds and Jamaican Nesta Carter placed third in 9.98 seconds.

Shelly-Ann Fraser ran the women's 100m race in 11.03 seconds, edging her Jamaican teammate Kerron Stewart (11.06) and American Marshavet Hooker (11.09).

In the 200m Bolt easily won the 200 metres race in 19.63 seconds.

Olympic gold medallist Melaine Walker took the 400m hurdles in 53.73. well ahead of Poland's Anna Jesien, 54.76, who narrowly beat Britain's Tasha Danvers, 54.79.


At the IAAF Grand Prix in England on Sunday August 31st, Olympic Gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser of Jamaica was beaten in the womens 100m sprint by American Lauryn Williams. Williams clocked 11.24 sec as Fraser finished second in 11.29 sec.

Asafa Powell took first place in the men's 100m with a time of 9.87 sec. Afterwards Powell commented, "It would have been different in the Olympics if I had run like this. But the past is the past and this is the present."


At the Golden League meeting in Zurich on Friday August 29th, Usain Bolt won the 100m sprint in 9.83 seconds dispite a poor start. The 22-year-old Jamaican finished 0.16 seconds ahead of America's double Olympic bronze medalist Walter Dix. After taking silver behind Bolt at the Olympics, Trinidad & Tobago's Richard Thompson had to settle for third place, a further 10th of a second behind Dix.

"It was good, but my start was not too good," said Bolt. "I concentrated on winning and as I'm starting to get a cold I was not able to think about any faster time."

On Tuesday Sept. 2, Bolt will run another 200 race at the Athletissima Grand Prix meet in Lausanne. He'll run the 100 at the final Golden League meet on Sept. 5 in Brussels, Belgium.


What went wrong: The U.S. track and field team is on the decline

Let's get straight to the point: The Olympic track and field competition was a debacle for the United States. From the botched relay handoffs to Tyson Gay's bum hamstring to Lolo Jones's stumble to Wallace Spearmon's disqualification and other misadventures in Beijing, it was ugly out there. Everything that U.S. swimming and gymnastics was, track wasn't.

Not that this football-basketball nation will lose any sleep over this — at least until the next Olympics.

For the record, the men's 14 medals represent the second-worst total ever in 28 Olympic appearances that date back to 1896 (the worst being the 12 in the 2000 Sydney Games).

Eight of those medals came from just three events — both hurdle races and the 400-meter dash. They won just four gold medals, America's worst showing ever. The women's nine medals and three golds are about average. The men's and women's combined total of 23 medals is their fewest since 1976 and third worst ever. Continue


Bolt 9.72 in New York! – World 100m record

New York, USA – At last night’s IAAF World Athletics Tour meeting in New York, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt set a new World record* for the men’s 100m in a time of 9.72 seconds.

The young Bolt, who ran 9.76 earlier this month, told the New York press on Thursday (29) that he had asked his coach for two years to be allowed to run the 100m, mostly because he did NOT want to run the 400m. More


Asafa Powell gains winning boost before Beijing

The fastest underdog in the world bit back last night as Asafa Powell stopped the Usain Bolt bandwagon from rolling into Beijing with possession of sprinting’s bragging rights.

In a race of fine margins and broad scope in Stockholm, Powell won the all-Jamaican duel by one hundredth of a second. His time of 9.88sec was not enough to earn him a diamond for a stadium record, but it may prove priceless with regards to his mentality come the Olympic final. Report