BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP):THIS TIME there will be no holding back for Asafa Powell.
The Jamaican set a world record of 9.74 seconds at the Rieti Grand Prix on Sunday, bettering his previous mark of 9.77 as he coasted over the last 20 metres in the second of two heats. At tomorrow's Van Damme Memorial Golden League meet, there will be no easing up.
Powell said he cost himself at least .04 seconds by slowing down in Rieti. If he had kept his pace, he believes he could have run as low as 9.70 seconds.
"Maybe below," he said yesterday. "I'm not sure."
Meet organiser Wilfried Meert had hoped Powell would face world champion Tyson Gay at Van Damme. But the triple gold medallist from lastmonth's World Championships in Osaka, Japan, is skipping the meet.
That puts Powell in an ideal position, with only a relaxing run to another world record to concentrate on. Throughout his career, he has run fastest when the pressure is off and, as a result, he has the world record but no major titles.
In Osaka, the Jamaican tightened up in the 100 final against Gay and finished third. The pressure will only increase as he heads into next year's Beijing Olympics.
"I would not give up the world record for anything," Powell said. "I will stick with the world record."
Terrible start
Powell felt he had a world record in him when he raced at the Van Damme last year, but had a terrible start and won in 9.99.
The Van Damme has produced many long-distance world records over the years but none in sprint events.
Meseret Defar of Ethiopia is competing at the rarely run distance of two miles. Defar is the 5,000 world champion and set a world record over the distance this spring. She has been in good shape throughout the season.
The Van Damme is also the penultimate race in the Golden League season, and there are two athletes going for the US$1 million (euro720,000) jackpot.
Sanya Richards and Yelena Isinbayeva have won their events in all four Golden League meets so far and will split the money if they maintain a perfect record after Sunday's concluding ISTAF meet in Berlin.
While Richards confirmed her dominance over the 400 in Zurich, Switzerland, last weekend, Isinbayeva was one jump away from being eliminated before escaping with victory in the pole vault.
