Posted: June 30, 2005

Athletics: Golden League To Begin Without Powell, Gatlin

By Bob Ramsak, Track Profile

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PARIS -- When the six-meet Golden League series kicks off Friday night at the Stade de France just outside of Paris, two athletes will be conspicuously missing from the start line from one of the series' featured events: Olympic 100 meter champion Justin Gatlin and recently-minted world record holder Asafa Powell.

Agents for both athletes confirmed that the pair would be skipping the Gaz de France meet, leaving the world's two top sprinters out of the chase for a share of the Golden League's one million dollar jackpot.

For Powell, who shaved one one-hundredth of a second from the 100 meter world record with his 9.77 dash in Athens 16 days ago, his absence is a matter of financial talks breaking down. Paris organizers, their hand strengthened by being the series' kick-off meet, decided against big appearance payments this year. Gatlin, who last weekend became the first double sprint winner at the U.S. championships in two decades, will begin his European campaign next Tuesday, July 5, at the Athletissima Super Grand Prix in Lausanne, Switzerland.

At just 23 and 22 respectively, Gatlin and Powell are poised to embark on a sprint rivalry that could define the sport for the rest of the decade. Despite their absence from the French capital, the pair will have several other opportunities to meet head-on prior to their highly-anticipated showdown at August's world championships in Helsinki.

They are scheduled to meet next Friday, July 8, at Rome's Golden Gala Golden League contest, and again on July 22 at the Norwich Union London Grand Prix. Powell is also slated to race at the DN Galan Grand Prix meeting in Stockholm on July 28.

In their only meeting this season, Gatlin narrowly defeated the Jamaican at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore. on June 4, where each was credited with a wind-assisted 9.84 performance. Last year, Gatlin's lone victory in the 100 meters was in the Olympic final where Powell, 2004's top sprinter, suffered his only defeat of the season.

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