“AS THEY SOW, SO SHALL THEY REAP” :rolleyes:
By Gene Cherry
RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - Justin Gatlin’s agent has called for a review of Asafa Powell’s world 100 metres record by the ruling body of athletics.
Gatlin was given a time of 9.76 seconds at a meeting in Doha last week but the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced on Wednesday the time should have been rounded up to 9.77, equalling Jamaican Powell’s world mark.
The world and Olympic champion’s agent, Renaldo Nehemiah, told Reuters by telephone that he had sent an email to the IAAF requesting they took another look at Powell’s record performance in Athens on June 14 last year.
“Asafa Powell’s record in Greece, it (the time) showed 9.78. It was rounded down to 9.77,” former hurdles great Nehemiah said.
"I want to ensure the same sensitivity (applied to Gatlin’s run) was attributed to that record as well.
“I do not want to take anything anyway from Asafa Powell, but if everybody is starting to look at this with a magnifying glass, and rightly so because of the lowness of the times, so we want to look into that time.”
He also questioned the delay in correcting Gatlin’s time.
“It has been almost five days since he ran. I did not think it would take them that long to realise the possibility of a mistake.”
A review of the Doha race by Tissot Timing indicated Gatlin had run 9.766 seconds, which according to IAAF rules should have been rounded down to 9.77.
The IAAF said the error had been spotted relatively early in the ratification process.
OBVIOUS MISTAKE
Spokesman Nick Davies could not confirm that the IAAF had received an email from Nehemiah but said there had been no question about Powell’s record.
“What’s happened with Gatlin, it was obviously a mistake,” he said. "It just so happens that it came out from Tissot admitting the error of timing but we would have found it.
“Powell’s record was ratified and signed off having fulfilled all the conditions,” Davies added.
"Every single record is very carefully checked by the technical officer before it is forwarded to the president and general secretary for signing.
“There was no question at the time that it wasn’t a record. It has been subjected to the same rigorous security (as Gatlin’s time).”
Davies said all the times from the 100 metres in Doha would have to be reassessed.
“I respect the IAAF for saying a record of this magnitude is so difficult to break we need to make sure we are absolutely correct,” Nehemiah said.
“This is just an incentive for Justin to go out and break the world record again officially. He is in excellent shape for this time of the year.”
A meeting with Powell in Gateshead, England on June 11 is still on, Nehemiah added.
The joint world record holders could also clash at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, on May 28 where Gatlin is scheduled to run the 100 metres and Powell the 200.
“There is at least a possibility that might change, but we want to reserve comment on that,” Powell’s manager Paul Doyle said.