ROME (AFP) — Jamaican Asafa Powell set a new men's world 100m record of 9.74sec at the IAAF Grand Prix at Rieti, Italy, on Sunday weekend and then stated he can get faster.
Far from resting on his laurels by his performance in Italy when he beat his old mark of 9.77 set in Athens in June 2005, Powell said he is capable of running significantly quicker.
Beaten into third place by American Tyson Gay at the world championships in Osaka last month, Powell's performance in Italy has put him back into centre stage.
"In Osaka, I was too tense," Powell said. "I thought too much about my race and the time I was hoping to achieve. On the other hand I was very relaxed in coming here (Rieti). That means I could run 9.68."
The 24-year-old Powell had predicted in Stockholm at the beginning of August that he felt he was capable of beating the world record this year.
When asked about his physical limits, he had said at the time they were around "9.74 or 9.73, even below 9.70."
Powell dominated the race ahead of Norway's Saidy Ndure Jaysuma (10.07) and 2003 world champion from St Kitts and Nevis, Kim Collins (10.14).
"After the world championships, where I made several mistakes, I worked with my coach so that I could regain my best form. Now I'm back!" said Powell on RaiSport.
"I did what I had to do on a very fast and bouncy track. And then Italy is my second home," he said.
At the Osaka world championships on August 26, the Jamaican failed to win the 100m title, finishing third in 9.96sec behind Gay (9.85) and Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas (9.91).
"I was in great shape and ready to go, but I made a huge mistake in the final," he lamented at the time.
Powell set his world-record 9.77 in 2005 and equalled it twice last season on the way to being named male athlete of the year.
He is yet to win a major title after false-starting at the 2003 worlds, missing 2005 with injury and finishing fifth at the last Olympics.
The Jamaican won last year's Commonwealth title but only after risking disqualification by veering into a competitor's lane during the semi-finals.
Gay had held till this record-breaking run the fastest time of the season of 9.84sec, set on June 22 in Indianapolis.
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