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AP
ATHENS, Greece - Asafa Powell is the opposite of the traditional brash, trash-talking sprinter.
Instead, the soft-spoken, deeply religious Jamaican lets his running speak for him.
Powell broke the 100 meter world record Tuesday, finishing in 9.77 seconds at the Tsiklitiria Super Grand Prix in Athens and shaving one hundredth of a second off Tim Montgomery’s record of 9.78 set in Paris in 2002.
There was no showboating, no struts in front of the sparse crowd at the stadium where he finished fifth in the 100 at the Olympics last year.
Just laughter and smiles — even when it took a minute for his world record time to be confirmed on the scoreboard.
“Everyone’s been telling me, for a long time now, that I’m the fastest man in the world,” Powell said. “I just proved it.”
Powell’s run also gave the record a clean slate. Montgomery is under suspicion of doping and his former record time could be wiped out by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“It’s really good for the sport,” Powell said. “Next time I’ll see if I can go faster.”
Powell is only the fourth non-American to hold the 100 world record since 1912. Donovan Bailey of Canada (1996), Armin Hary of West Germany (1960) and Percy Williams of Canada (1930) are the others.
Powell was one of the favorites for the sprint at last year’s Olympics. But he finished behind Justin Gatlin, Francis Obikwelu, former record holder Maurice Greene and Shawn Crawford. Gatlin won in 9.85 seconds.
“I have a lot of memories on this track,” Powell said. “I think I showed the world what I could have done at the Olympics.”
Powell won by three meters, beating Ghana’s Aziz Zakari, who ran 9.99.
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“I think about no one else,” Powell said. “I don’t even ask who’s there — I just go out there and compete.”
His next aim is this year’s world championships in Helsinki, Finland.
“Just wait and see,” Powell said. “You haven’t seen the last of it. Who knows? Maybe I’ll run 9-something-lower.”
Powell has decided to train in Jamaica with a group of sprinters under coach Stephen Francis instead of going to college in the United States like many other Caribbean athletes.
“Asafa’s victory is a motivational factor because other athletes will see that we have the proper training here,” said Howard Aris, president of the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association.
This is Powell’s third full season on the circuit. At the 2003 worlds in Paris, he and U.S. sprinter Jon Drummond were disqualified in a quarterfinal heat of the 100 for a false start. Drummond threw a tantrum and laid on the track in protest. Powell calmly walked away.
Powell already had the world’s fastest time this year, a run of 9.84 at the Jamaica International Invitational on May 8. He also ran a 9.85 on June 9 in the Czech Republic.
“Asafa’s record-breaking run is eloquent testimony of Jamaica’s profound impact on the international stage and possibilities as a nation in the modern world,” Jamaica Prime Minister P.J. Patterson said.
Powell said Greene’s win in 2000 inspired him to take up sprinting, and he was encouraged by elder brother Donovan, a 100 meter semifinalist at the 1999 worlds. Powell, whose father is a preacher, is the youngest of six siblings.
On his profile on the JAAA Web site, Powell lists his favorite song as “Lord Walk Beside Me” and looks forward to working as an electrical engineer when his running days are over.
After Tuesday’s run, any studies are likely to go on the backburner as Powell gets used to becoming a national hero.
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