Posted: June 5, 2006

Athletics: Powell On Oslo Dash: 'next Time I'll Run My Normal Race'

By Bob Ramsak
© 2006 TRACK PROFILE Report, all rights reserved

While Asafa Powell raced to a seemingly comfortable victory in the 100 meters at the Bislett Games on Friday, it wasn’t the overwhelming victory that he, or many others had anticipated.

“Normally I would win my races by five meters or so, but tonight it really wasn’t anything spectacular,” Powell said after his 9.98 victory. “Next time I’ll run my normal race.”

Powell, whose 9.77 world record was equaled in Doha, Qatar last month by world and Olympic champion Justin Gatlin, admitted he made some mistakes in the second half of the race when American Shawn Crawford, Gatlin’s training partner, crept up on him in the adjacent lane.

“In the last 50 meters or so I started lifting and not moving forward. I tried to go easy but then (Crawford) started pulling up on me. So I just held my form until the end.”

Crawford, the Olympic 200 meter champion, finished a step behind in 10.02 seconds, but Powell’s assessment provided more ammo to his critics who believe that when fully challenged, the 23-year-old Jamaican loses his focus. That theory, among others, may not be tested again until Powell and Gatlin finally square off this season.

Powell said that he wasn’t sure when he would next race Gatlin, but his manager Paul Doyle indicated that the pair would probably not meet at the Athens Super Grand Prix on July 3, dispelling recent rumors.

“That’s up to (Gatlin) to decide,” Powell said. “It will be really exciting. A lot of people will be looking forward to it and I’m really anticipating the day.”

In Oslo, Powell said, “The wind was changing and I didn’t really expect to run a lot faster, but it could have been faster.”

Conversely, his 9.96 dash in the heats appeared flawless, even after hitting cruise control some 30 meters from the finish line.

“Yeah, that was very easy,” he said, smiling.

After world record holder Kenenisa Bekele’s defeat in the 5000 meters, Powell is now one of the favorites in the pursuit of the IAAF Golden League Jackpot, but he insists that he’s not thinking dollar or euro signs just yet.

“I know I can do it but I’m not going to focus on the money. I’m just going to focus on ending the season on top. It is a goal, but I’m just focusing on finishing the season healthy.”

Last year, a nagging groin injury sidelined him for the latter half of the season, forcing him to miss the World Championships and out of scheduled races against Gatlin in Rome, London and Zurich.

Powell has repeatedly shared his respect for Gatlin and said that the American’s record-equalling performance last month didn’t leave a bitter taste in his mouth.

“It’s good for the sport,” he insisted. “It makes it a little bit more competitive. He said he would do it and he did it. And I’m really happy for him.”

Yet despite the media and fan clamor for a face-off, Powell believes that it’s not necessarily in the sport’s best interest that they meet as often as possible.

“Well, no. I think we should have people wanting to see us run. That will make it a little more exciting.”

Powell will compete next at the Norwich Union British Grand Prix, the first U.K stop on the IAAF World Athletics Tour in Gateshead on Sunday, June 11. Gatlin, initially on the slate, will not be at the race.

“He made a decision not to run, and I don’t know why. But I’m not really going to say that he’s backing out. I think he has a good reason why he’s not running.”

Gatlin or not, Powell is confident that he’ll regain sole possession of the world record “very soon.”

“I’m going back for it. I’m in real good shape but I still have a far way to go. And I’m getting there real fast.”

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