MAKE NO mistake about it, a win for former record holder Asafa Powell against the man of the moment, Usain Bolt, at Tuesday's DN Gala meet was a big one and, with the Olympic Games just about two weeks away, it couldn't have come at a better time.

The big smile on Powell's face at the end of that race said it all. Not only was the time a good one for Powell, who has recently recovered from injury, but the fact that it came against a Usain Bolt who has looked unbeatable recently, must go a long way as far as the sprinter's confidence is concerned.

And confidence will be key for Powell with the deck perhaps more stacked than it has ever been against the fallen sprint king, who is yet to win a major world title.

Say what you want about Bolt and Powell being friends, the fact of the matter is that sport is war. The two won't be the first or the last friends to compete against each other at the highest level. Let's not fool ourselves. Tracks, courts and pitches are battlefields, fierce rivalries will develop and this scenario will be no different.

Unhealthy fear

A great deal of us seem to hold an unhealthy fear of encouraging a competition, which could push both athletes and the nation to new heights where sprinting is concerned.

However, for those of you in denial, let's put the issue in black and white. Out of nowhere, Bolt stripped away most of Powell's sprinting accolades, which include world records and national championships, and perhaps even forced a licence plate change (Powell's read 9.77 WR). It can't be easy to go from the fastest man in the world to not even the fastest man in your country.

Powell wants them back, and if that isn't the start of a rivalry then I don't know what is. Of course, they are both superb athletes and we are glad they are on our side, but sports is about competition.

As far as getting even with Bolt goes, Powell took a key step by showing the world and himself that he can outsprint the world's fastest man. With the emergence of Tyson Gay and Bolt, it had seemed to some that it might have been just possible for the sun to have set on Powell's Olympic dreams.

Think again

However, those of us who had crossed Powell out will certainly need to think again.

Having the world record, as Powell knows, does not win medals and the sprinter will still be very much in contention for the gold in Beijing.

Of course, American Gay, who has had a solid season, having run 9.77 at the US trials, will also have his say. I am aware of the wind-aided 9.68, which Gay also ran, but am not sure when it is that we have started consistently mentioning wind-aided times.

However, Powell's beating of Bolt, a man who decimated Gay when the two met earlier in the season, can't hurt in that respect either.

kwesi.mugisa@gleanerjm.com.