By Bob Ramsak
(c) 2008 TRACK PROFILE Report, all rights reserved
STUTTGART -- Asafa Powell downplayed a potential assault on the 100 meter world record when the 6th edition of the IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final kicks off on Saturday, but he didn't discount another fast performance at the season-capping two day event.
"The shape I'm in right now I feel I'm going to run very fast," said Powell, who's produced an impressive post-Olympic run including a personal best of 9.72 seconds in Lausanne 10 days ago.
"I'm not thinking about the world record, whatever happens, happens. It's going to come soon. Maybe tomorrow, maybe another day, maybe next year."
Powell saw his previous world record of 9.74 lowered twice this year by fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt, who ran 9.69 to take the Olympic title, with Powell well back in fifth. Bolt has already ended his season and won't be racing this weekend, but Powell believes the event isn't only about his younger rival.
"Wherever Usain takes (the record), I'll be there right with him," he said. "When I ran 9.74 I thought my limit would be 9.69. Then when Usain ran 9.69 after stopping 20 meters before the finish, it's obviously possible to go even faster. I think 9.6 is possible. I think next year you'll see 9.5."
Powell has won the final the past three editions of the final, all with meet records. Last year he won in 9.83.
"I'm pretty confident that it will be fast on Saturday."
One incentive for Powell to run fast is a $100,000 world record bonus offered, on top of the $30,000 first place prize.
While Bolt and double Olympic champions Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia will be absent, 21 Olympic champions are on the slate this weekend, lured by a total prize purse of $3 million.
Also downplaying a world record assault is two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva who also competes on day one.
First I will try to win, because I know the other girls are in shape," said Isinbayeva, who has set 24 world records, most recently a 5.05 meter leap in Beijing. "After that, we will see." Isinbayeva said that a cold and fever earlier in the week forced to miss some training.
Among the most eagerly-awaited duels of the weekend will be in men's 400 meters, pitting Olympic champion LaShawn Merritt against the man he succeeded, Jeremy Wariner. The pair have split their six meetings this season. In Beijing Merritt clocked the season's fastest time of 43.75 but Wariner struck back in Zurich with a 43.82 run.
The women's 100m hurdles features a rematch between Olympic champion Dawn Harper and the year's fastest, Lolo Jones. Jones was a strong pre-Olympic favorite, but saw her chances ruined when she hit the penultimate hurdle in the final, eventually finishing seventh.
In Dibaba's absence, the spotlight in the 5000m will focus on the woman she succeeded as Olympic champion and world record holder, Meseret Defar. Defar suffered her second successive loss in Brussels last weekend where she was outkicked by Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot in a fast 5000m. Both will be doubling back on Sunday in the 3000. Also doubling this weekend is Kenyan Linet Masai, who set a world junior record in the Olympic 10,000m, clocking 30:26.50 for fourth.
In the men's 3000, defending champion and world leader (7:31.83) Edwin Soi returns as Olympic bronze medallist. On the heels of his solid victory in the Rieti 1500 last Sunday, 2007 double world champion Bernard Lagat was given a wild card spot, and will look to end his season on a high note after leaving Beijing empty-handed.
Seven of the top eight finishers from the women's 3000m steeplechase final will reunite this weekend, but the focus will large be on the top three, lead by gold medallist Gulnara Galkina. The Russian made the inaugural Olympic final a memorable one with her 8:58.31 run, the event's first sub-nine minute performance. She'll be joined by Silver medallist Eunice Jepkorir of Kenya and Russian Yekaterina Volkova, the bronze medallist.
In the 1500m, Maryam Yusuf Jamal will be looking for further redemption after her disappointing fifth place finish in Beijing. The solid field includes Olympic silver medallist Iryna Lishchynska of Ukraine, Briton Lisa Dobriskey and American Shannon Rowbury, fourth and seventh respectively at the Olympic Games.
In the men's 800, Yusuf Saad Kamel, the former Kenyan Gregory Konchellah, will set off on his weekend double ambitions. Fifth in the Olympic 800m final, the 27-year-old arrives in Stuttgart after a string of three successive victories, two at 1500m in Lausanne and Zagreb, and a solid 800m win in Brussels. He'll face world champion Alfred Kirwa Yego, the Olympic bronze medallist, and South African Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, who has run 1:43.26 this year.
Other highlights include the men's high jump featuring Olympic champion Andrey Silnov of Russia, the world leader at 2.38, and Stefan Holm of Sweden, the 2004 Olympic champion. Holm will end his career here on Saturday.
Other Olympic champions on the slate for the first day of competition include Gert Kanter of Estonia in the Discus throw, Brazil's Maurren Higa Maggi in the long jump, Czech Barbora Spotakova in the javelin throw, Portugal's Nelson Evora in the triple jump, and Tomasz Majewski of Poland in the shot put.
The schedule also includes the men's 400m hurdles -Olympic champion Angelo Taylor will contest the flat 400m instead-and the women's 200m and hammer throw.
This edition marks the third and final time that the season-capping two-day event will be hosted by Stuttgart, following the local government's decision to remove the track soon after the conclusion of the meet. According to organizers, 32,000 tickets for the two days have been sold as of Friday morning.
Relatively cool temperatures are in the forecast for the weekend, with a strong chance of rain on Saturday and more clear conditions on Sunday.
