I am here to stay, says Asafa Powell

BY PAUL A REID Observer writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com
Saturday, June 25, 2011

ASAFA Powell silenced his seemingly growing band of detractors last night when he put in a gutsy performance to win the 100m title on the second day of the JAAA/Supreme Ventures National Senior Championships at the National Stadium.

After a less than spectacular season in which he pulled up twice, the 29-year-old former three-time World Record holder recovered from a bad start to nip young Turks Yohan Blake and Steve Mullings on the line as it took a photo finish to separate the three men who will accompany defending champion Usain Bolt in the 100m at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea in August.

Blake appeared to have won the race, prompting his training partner Bolt to race on to the track to congratulate him, but after several replays Powell emerged as the winner of yet another national senior title.

On a cool evening after a short but heavy afternoon downpour, Powell - who has run more sub 10-second times than any man ever - clocked 10.08 seconds into a negative 1.8 metres per second wind. Blake was second in 10.09 seconds and Mullings, who has run 9.80 seconds this year, placed third in 10.10 seconds.

Nesta Carter was fourth, followed by Michael Frater, Dexter Lee, Mario Forsythe and Jacques Harvey.

Powell told reporters after the race he got off to a bad start as he accidentally hit hands with Mullings who was to his left and "almost fell".

He described the win as "a great achievement for me" and warned that it was too early to write him off. "I am here to stay," he crowed.

Two hours earlier in the semi-finals, Powell eased to a 9.90 seconds clocking leading MVP teammate Carter, 9.98 seconds with Lee making up for a poor start with a solid second half to finish third in 10.13 seconds, outleaning Jacques Harvey, 10.15 seconds.

Mullings won the first semi-final in 9.96 seconds, just ahead of Blake, 9.97 seconds and Frater, 9.98 seconds while Mario Forsythe snatched fourth and a place in the final with 10.12 seconds.

 Last year's champion Oshane Bailey and Commonwealth champion Lerone Clarke with 6th and 7th respectively failed to advance.

The first two rounds of the 200m heats will be run this morning, starting at 9:00, and will be followed in the afternoon with the finals of the 3000m steeplechase, the 800m as well as the semi-finals of the 400m and the 200m.

Nicholas Thomas won the triple jump with a best mark of 16.12m, edging defending champion Wilbert Walker, 16.11m, both well short of the 16.85m 'B' standard for the World Championships.

Wayne Northover was third with 14.49m while Carlington Benjamin placed fourth with 14.28m.

Leford Green successfully defended his 400m hurdles title in the process running a season best 49.19 seconds, an automatic 'A' qualifying standard and booked his ticket to South Korea.

Green told the Observer he was feeling the effects of his "crazy double" as he will also run the 400m semis today, but was "very happy, my hard work has paid off".

Josef Robertson, who had already achieved the 'A' standard was second in 49.64 seconds while former Green Island High runner Roxroy Cato was third in a personal best 49.66 seconds - the 'B' standard - and just edged the veteran Danny McFarlane who finished fourth in 49.77 seconds.

The heats of the 800m were scratched from yesterday's schedule due to lack of entries and the athletes will have one chance today to make the 1 minute 45.40 seconds 'A' qualifying mark or the 1 minute 46.30 seconds 'B' standard.

There are also three field events finals - the long jump, high jump and discus throw.

Damar Forbes, who left Jamaica as a primary school student, is the only Jamaican man who has already achieved the 8.20m 'A' standard for the long jump with a season and personal best 8.23m and will compete here for the first time this afternoon.

The Louisiana State University sophomore, who was second in the NCAA outdoors two weeks ago and who made a big improvement over his 7.93m personal best from last year, will lead a field that includes fist year professionals Alain Bailey, Tarick Batchelor of the University of Alabama, Nicholas Gordon and Herbert McGregor.

Jason Morgan, who recently improved on his National Record pushing it to 64.11m at a meet in Louisiana, has the 'B' standard but will be aiming for the 65.00m 'A' qualifying mark today.

Former National Junior Record holder Chad Wright, a first year student at the University of Nebraska who has a season best 57.88 with the 2.0Kg disc, will be in the hunt for a place on the team while juniors Traves Smikle and Fredrick Dacres will also compete.

Source: Jamaica Observer