Posted: June 15, 2005

Athletics: USATF News & Notes, Volume 6, Number 47

Powell sets 100m world record

Asafa Powell set a new world record in the men's 100 meters Tuesday night by crossing the finish line in 9.77 seconds at the Tsiklitiria Super Grand Prix in Athens, Greece.

The 22-year-old Jamaican bettered the previous world record of 9.78 seconds, set by Tim Montgomery on September 14, 2002 in Paris.

Powell's time was clocked as 9.78 seconds equaling the existing world record, but a few minutes later the time was rounded down officially to 9.77 (wind 1.6m/s). His reaction time at the start was 0.150.

Powell told the IAAF he was confident going into the race. "I knew that I could do it," he said. "I did my best. It feels great to be the fastest man of the world."

When asked how fast he could go this season, Powell replied: "Who knows? 9 something...I love Greece and I will come back here next year."

For more information on the Tsiklitiria Super Grand Prix, visit: IAAF.org.

ING New York City Marathon 2005 to offer largest-ever marathon first-place purse to top woman

Through an added bonus from the ING Run for Something Better program for women, the ING New York City Marathon 2005 on November 6 will increase its prize purse to $130,000 for the women's champion, the largest first-place prize in the history of marathoning.

The announcement was made at a luncheon at Restaurant San Domenico N.Y., located along the marathon course. The first three professional women athletes signed for the race were on hand for the announcement: Olympians Jen Rhines, Marie Davenport of Ireland, and Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands.

Kiplagat, 31, and Rhines, 30, are both marathon veterans. Kiplagat has been a top-10 finisher in the ING New York City Marathon the last three years, with a third-place showing in 2003. Rhines, a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic marathon team, placed 17th in the ING New York City Marathon 2003.

Davenport, 30, of Guilford, Connecticut, was slated to make her marathon debut in last year's ING New York City Marathon, but an ankle injury forced her to withdraw. She is a two-time Olympian, in 1996 at 5000 meters and in 2004 at 10,000 meters.

The men¹s champion of the five-borough 26.2-mile race on Sunday, November 6, will collect $100,000.The added $30,000 for the women's winner comes from the ING Run for Something Better, the cause-related cornerstone program of ING's title sponsorship. Additional prize money will also be paid to the women¹s second-place ($20,000 additional for a total $65,000), third-place ($10,000 additional for a total $40,000), and fourth-place ($5,000 additional for a total $25,000) finishers.

ING became the marathon's first title sponsor in 2003 and recently extended its title sponsorship through the 2007 race. Since the ING Run for Something Better program's inception in 2003, ING has contributed close to half a million dollars to community and youth running organizations.

In addition to the ING Run for Something Better prize money, ING will also donate a total of $150,000, equally split between the New York Road Runners Foundation and the City Parks Foundation, in the names of the top four women finishers. Both organizations reflect NYRR's and ING's shared commitment to the sport of running, to youth, and to the local community.

For more information on the ING New York City Marathon, visit www.ingnycmarathon.org.