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Asafa Powell to headline hot 100 at Olympic Park
01 March 2006 | 12.53pm
World 100m record holder will make his competitive return to the 100m at the Telstra A-series/IAAF World Athletics Tour event at Melbourne’s Olympic Park on Thursday 9 March.
Powell, who set a world record of 9.77 seconds for 100m in Athens last year and raced to the three fastest times in 2005, has not completed a 100m since the London Grand Prix in July.
The world record holder was expected to announce his intentions to run in the relay, delivering the surprise request to face off over the individual sprint and the relay at a media conference in Melbourne today.
I’ll run the 100 and the relay. I’m a little bit anxious, it’s my first real competition for me since the injury, I still have a litte fear – but it’s only a mind thing," Powell said
The news is a boost for what already promises to be the best night of athletics in Melbourne for nearly a decade. The two divisions of the 100m will be the hottest 100’s ever staged at Olympic Park.
The 19th edition of Australia’s premier athletics meeting will mark the final hit-out prior to the Commonwealth Games and close to 100 athletes from 15 countries are expected to compete in the first of 24 Global IAAF World Tour events in 2005.
The men’s 100m will feature Powell, his Jamaican training partner Michael Frater, the 2005 world championship silver medallist, who boasts a personal best of 10.03, Athens Olympic relay gold medallist Mark Lewis-Francis, 1999 World Championships 100m finalist Kareem Street Thompson, along with Australia’s three representatives in the 100m at the Commonwealth Games in Joshua Ross, Patrick Johnson and Ambrose Ezenwa, and the two divisions will be virtual Commonwealth Games finals.
Australia’s biggest names will be in action – Craig Mottram, Jana Pittman, Benita Johnson, Clinton Hill, Tatiana Grigorieva, Sarah Jamieson and Bronwyn Thompson will all be involved in head-to-head duels with the Commonwealth’s finest, just 10 days before the actions begins at the MCG.
Tickets for the most anticipated Telstra A-series in years are on sale now at www.ticketek.com.au and premium seats are selling fast.
In other news, world championships silver medallist Michael Frater and bronze medallist Brigette Foster confirmed they will compete in both Brisbane and Melbourne.
Frater will add further luster to an already hot 100m that includes Athens Olympic gold medallists Mark Lewis-Francis and Marlon Devonish from England and 1999 world championships finalist Kareem Streete-Thompson from Cayman Islands. They will face a domestic stampede from national 100m champion Joshua Ross and 200m champion Patrick Johnson, along with Matt Shirvington, Adam Miller, Ambrose Ezenwa and Daniel Batman.
Foster will provide national champion Sally McLellan with a wonderful learning experience ahead of the Games. The Queenslander is unbeaten this year over the hurdles or 100m, however Forster, with a personal best of 12.45, will certainly provide a different quality of opposition.
