YOKOHAMA, Japan, Sept 24, 2006 - World record holder Asafa Powell was disqualified in the men’s 100 metres at the Yokohama track and field meet here on Sunday, ending his spectacular season in disappointing style.
The Jamaican, who equalled his world record of 9.77 seconds twice this season, made a second false start following the first by Andrey Yepishin of Russia to be out of the contest.
The race was won by Japan’s ace Shingo Suetsugu, the 2003 world 200m bronze medallist, who timed 10.12 seconds to beat fellow Japanese Naoki Tsukahara and Patrick Johnson of Australia.
Under IAAF rules, any athlete responsible for a second false start is disqualified.
I was very disappointed,'' said Powell, 23, who has run 12 100m races in less than 10 seconds this season, including twice equalling his world record he first set at Athens in June last year. This is a very fast track and I wanted to run a world record there, I felt good out there. It was a right time to do it. Next year, I will have a second chance, so I want to make sure that I’m in good shape and run fast.’’
Powell said he was confident of making a new world record next year.
I'm very, very confident, because last year I didn't finish the season as I wanted. This is the last one, then I go home, get some rest and prepare for the next year.'' Grand Prix Final winner Sherone Simpson, also of Jamaica, won the women's 100m when she clocked 11.15 to beat American Glenn Brianna into second in 11.54 and Japan's Saori Kitakaze into third in 11.78. Simpson's compatriot Brigitte Foster-Hylton, the 2005 world 110m hurdles bronze winner, finished a lowly seventh in 12.89. Another world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia, who failed all her jumps to end without a record here last year, saved some face by leaping 4.72 metres for an easy victory in the women's pole vault. The 24-year-old from Volgograd, however, could not even make an attempt at beating her own record of 5.01m that she set at the world championships in Helsinki in August last year after failing three jumps at 4.85. I’m satisfied with my record today. 4.72 is not a bad result, it’s a new meet record,’’ said Isinbayeva.
``I’ll have another meet in South Korea on Thursday, but overall I was satisfied with my performance this season, although I couldn’t make a new world record. Hopefully, I can do it next season,’’ said Isinbayeva.
Athens gold medallist Koji Murofushi of Japan continued his solid performance this season winning the men’s hammer throw with a mark of 81.00m to beat world champion Ivan Tikhon of Belarus, who threw 78.31.
It was Murofushi’s eighth win out of eight events this season, including his victories at the Grand Prix Final and the World Cup earlier this month where he defeated Tikhon into second.
Athens Olympic gold medallist Stefan Holm of Sweden duly won the men’s high jump with 2.27m, beating Grzegorz Sposob of Poland who cleared 2.24m, while last year’s world junior champion Remi Limo Ndiwa of Kenya won the men’s 1,500m in 3:40.11.
Powell DQD may not be the worst thing to happen, certainly better than what happened to Wariner. Next season will be exciting. 