Gay, Powell to run separately in Japan
Ken Marantz Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter
Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell will both run in the Super Meet in Yokohama later this month–just not against each other.
Gay, a triple gold medalist at the recently completed IAAF world championships in Osaka, will compete in the 100 meters in the traditional season-ending meet, to be held Sept. 30 at Nissan Stadium, organizers announced Friday.
Powell, who finished third in Osaka and last Sunday rewrote his world record in the 100 with a time of 9.74 seconds in Rieti, Italy, is entered in the 200.
A rematch in Yokohama would be among the most anticipated races of the post-Osaka season, but spectators will have to be satisfied watching the world’s top two sprinters facing light competition.
While Gay won the world 100 title in 9.84, none of the other sprinters slated to face him in Yokokhama have broken 10 seconds this year, including 2005 world silver medalist Michael Frater of Jamaica. Japan’s Nobuharu Asahara, a semifinalist in Osaka, is also entered.
In the 200, Powell might have to work a bit harder, as it is not his specialty and his best time this year is just 20.55, although he has a career best of 19.90. He will be pushed by American J.J. Johnson, who ran 20.32 this season but failed to make the U.S. team to Osaka.
Along with Gay, who also won world titles in the 200 and 4x100 relay, the meet includes six gold medalists from Osaka.
The best competition looks to be shaping up in the men’s hammer, where Japanese star Koji Murofushi will try to redeem himself on home soil for a sixth-place finish in Osaka against the three medalists–three-time world champion Ivan Tikhon of Belarus, Slovenia’s Primoz Kozmus and Slovakia’s Libor Charfreitag.
Murofushi gained a measure of revenge by beating Tikhon by one centimeter in Rieti.
Other men’s world champions entered are Kerron Clement in the 400 hurdles, Donald Thomas in the high jump and Brad Walker in the pole vault.
The women’s field includes long jump gold medalist Tatyana Lebedeva and 4x400 relay-winning member Sanya Richards, the world-leader in the 400.
(Sep. 15, 2007)