Usain Bolt Beats Asafa Powell in Uninspired Race
Friday’s IAAF Diamond League Meeting in Paris saw the world’s two best 100m sprinters, Jamaican duo Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt, meet each other for the first time this season. Bolt edged on top in the race, claiming the victory in 9.84 seconds, 0.02 seconds short of the fastest time this year.
Both Bolt and Powell have run 100m races in 9.82 seconds this year. Bolt recorded the time in Lausanne last week, while Powell did so in Rome last month.
The IAAF has stated that the purpose of the Diamond League Meetings, running for their first season this year, is to ensure as many face-offs between each athletics event’s greatest athletes as possible.
Friday’s event in Paris certainly served the stated purpose, with former world record holder Powell and Olympic and world champion Bolt lining up against each other in the 100m event.
Bolt, undefeated in the 100m since 2008, was last beaten in the event in 2008. Then, it was Powell who proved superior in Stockholm.
Bolt's Finish Too Strong for Powell
Powell, who has claimed to be on the brink of returning to his world record-breaking form, formed a good start to the race, with his countryman Bolt characteristically trailing out of the blocks.
Powell retained the lead in the race for approximately 80m, showing impressive strength to hold on to the lead.
In the last 20m, though, Bolt’s long legs had fully extended and allowed to him to whip up the blistering pace he is known to reach in the second half of his races.
Bolt overtook Powell swiftly, finishing the race in 9.84 seconds, 0.07 ahead of Powell at 9.91 seconds. Promising youngster, Yohan Blake, finished third in 9.95 seconds, resulting in an all-Jamaican podium in Paris.
Blake, 20, who clocked a time only 0.02 seconds short of his personal best, will be satisfied with his own performance and will be a sprinter to watch in the event in years to come.
Disappointing Results
Powell and Bolt, however, showed slight signs of disappointment after the race, as both failed to clock the 9.70-ranging time that had been promised by Bolt.
"I didn't feel so powerful out of the blocks as I wanted to,” said Bolt after the race. “I need to work on that."
In Bolt’s world record-breaking race in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he won the gold medal after finishing in 9.69 seconds, the Jamaican had the second worst reaction time out of the starting blocks.
By the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Bolt showed clear signs of having developed his starting technique, with his 9.58 second world record as proof.
Having returned from an Achilles tendon injury only last week, Bolt has some training to catch up on before fans can expect the extraordinary finishing times he has been known to deliver over the past few years.
Powell, whose form has been inconsistent since Bolt beat his world record in 2008, was also disappointed with how the race had turned out.
"It was just a bad race tonight. It will get better," he said after the finish.
"There's a lot going on behind the scenes. I'm just working on some stuff and hopefully we will get there,” he added.
Powell, who recently lost to US sprinter Tyson g*y in the Diamond League Meeting in Gateshead, UK, remains confident that he will be able to beat Usain Bolt for the first time since 2008 this season.
With Bolt’s rusty starts and injury problems looming, 27 year-old Powell may stand a chance challenging his 23 year-old rival and friend in their next race.
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