Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
POWELL
JOINT WORLD 100m record holder Asafa Powell said he had no plans to break the record at Sunday's IAAF Grand Prix at Gateshead in London.
"No, there was no plan... I didn't even know I was running that fast anyway," Powell told journalists on his arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday.
"I just proved that I did it before and I can do it again and that I am the best," said Powell, who arrived with teammates Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Ainsley Waugh, Michael Frater and Sherone Simpson who also competed in track and field meetings in Europe at the weekend.
Powell became the first and only athlete to run under 9.80 seconds twice.
"It's a great achievement and as I said, I'm just proving to the world that I am the best ... and it wasn't a mistake what I did before."
The Maximum Velocity Performance (MVP) MVP Club athlete was initially listed to face joint record holder in Sunday's race, but the American pulled out.
"He wasn't missed by anyone ... I didn't even remember him or anything.
"I just go out there and showed that I can run fast with, or without him," Powell said.
Powell said his coach Stephen Francis was happy with his performance, but not the technical part of his race.
"We just need to work on that," he said.
Francis, who along with masseur Patrick Watson arrived with the athletes, said: "The plan was to correct certain deficiencies, which he had."
According to Francis, the last two races in Oslo and Gateshead were used "to work on the aspects of his starting and finishing... the plan was for him to go out there and run as technically sound a race as he could."
Francis also believes Powell could have run faster.
"If he knew he was going that fast then he probably would have broken the record by three-hundredths (of a second). He could easily have gone three hundredths faster, had he run the last five metres or made a lunge at the line.
"It is up to Asafa (to break the record). He has a habit of been delinquent in doing certain stuff.
"I think on the whole Gatlin's (record) is a good wake up call for him ... And if he continues to understand that at anytime, what he has to do, then I think it (record) will come as soon as early next month," said Francis who believes Powell is good to run 9.8 seconds in any condition.
