Bolt and Powell

An air of expectation is hovering around Jamaica today as the nation holds its breath in anticipation of a first gold medal in the blue riband men's 100 metres race at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics.

Usain Bolt, the world's fastest man, and Asafa Powell, the former world record holder in the event, are the two expected to chase the historical feat in Berlin, Germany, at 2:35 this afternoon.

This is if, as expected, the two make it out of the semi-finals slated for 12:10 this afternoon.

Last year in Beijing, China, Bolt rocked the Bird's Nest with an electrifying 9.69, and triggered huge celebrations across Jamaica, as the country won its first men's 100m gold medal at the Olympic Games..

Now he is aiming to repeat the feat, with Jamaicans preparing for even bigger celebrations.

Powell, who is yet to win a gold medal in a major meet, could spoil Bolt's party, but that would not dampen the celebrations on the streets across the island.

In fact, the only thing that could stop today's street parties would be if the American Tyson Gay or any other finalist finished in front of the two Jamaicans.

While eight men will face the starter for the final, the cameras will be focused on Bolt, Powell and Gay.

Gay, with the fastest time over 100m this season (9.77), is the defending world champion on a mission to reclaim his place on top of the world after injuries affected his performance in Beijing.

Since the inception of the World Championships in 1983, Raymond Stewart and Michael Frater have gone the closest to winning the blue-riband event for Jamaica.

In 1987, Stewart was beaten by American Carl Lewis, who had a hat-trick of wins, while Frater was the silver medallist in 2005.

In 2007, Powell, who entered as the world record holder at 9.74, was relegated to third behind Gay and Bahamian Derrick Atkins.

This time around, Bolt will start favourite with his world record 9.69, which took him to Olympic stardom last year, while Powell, backed by his personal best 9.72, could also put Jamaica atop the podium.