Powell record brings curtain down on stadium

ZURICH – A world-record-equalling performance by Jamaican 100-metres runner Asafa Powell brought a fitting end to Zurich’s Letzigrund stadium ahead of the ground’s planned demolition next week.

The 78-year-old stadium is due to be rebuilt for the 2008 European soccer championship but on Friday it was Powell who was performing the demolition work. The 23-year-old destroyed his rivals to equal the record of 9.77 seconds he shares with American Justin Gatlin, who is facing a life ban from the sport after testing positive for testosterone in April.Powell finished 0.07 seconds ahead of second-placed American Tyson Gay as the first four broke 10 seconds.Newly crowned European champion Francis Obikwelu of Portugal finished last in 10.26 after appearing to struggle from the start.”I’m very happy,” Powell told reporters as he left the track.”Can I run faster? I think so – we’ll just have to wait and see.”Powell’s performance maintained his hopes of a share of the one million dollar Golden League jackpot, having won the opening four sprints of the six-event series.STRONG FINISH Americans Sanya Richards and Jeremy Wariner and Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba also remained unbeaten in their respective Golden League events.Dibaba used her trademark strong finish to win the women’s 5 000 metres in a time of 14 minutes, 45.73 seconds, over two seconds clear of Kenya’s Edith Masai.Richards also finished powerfully to take the 400 metres in 50.18 ahead of Bulgaria’s Vanya Stambolova.Wariner held off a strong challenge from fellow American Lashawn Merritt to win in 44.20.Any athlete who wins in five of the six competitions will be eligible for a share of $500 000.Those who emerge victorious from all six meetings will share an additional $500 000, although all eligible athletes must also compete in the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart on Sept 9-10.Panama’s Irving Saladino and Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele stayed in the chase for half the jackpot after making it three wins out of four in the long jump and 5 000 metres respectively.However, Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic, Swedish 100-metres hurdler Susanna Kallur and Norwegian javelin thrower Andreas Thorkildsen fell out of contention.Thorkildsen and Kallur were both unable to build on their success at last week’s European Championships.Olympic champion Thorkildsen finished second, more than three metres down on Finland’s Tero Pitkamaki’s winning throw of 88.27 metres.Kallur had to settle for fifth as America’s Michelle Perry won her first Golden League race of the season in 12.65 seconds.Vlasic was third in a high jump event that had been billed as a rematch between Belgium’s surprise European champion Tia Hellebaut and Swedish bronze medallist Kajsa Bergqvist.In the end though, it was Bulgaria’s Venelina Veneva who won with a clearance of 2.04 seconds, beating Bergqvist by two centimetres.Hellebaut was brought back to earth with a 1.94 metre jump that consigned her to joint sixth place.Qatar’s Saif Saaeed Shaheen had announced before the event that he would attempt to break his 3 000 metres steeplechase world record of 7:53.63 but missed out by less than four seconds, easing up at the end when he realised his chance had gone.The Kenyan-born athlete had stumbled at the final water jump although gave another explanation for his narrow failure.”The first pacemaker was good but the second and third didn’t do the job I needed to beat the world record,” Shaheen said.”Now I need to come back to the new stadium and break the record, although of course I want to keep trying this year.Maybe next week in Brussels.”Nampa-ReutersThe 23-year-old destroyed his rivals to equal the record of 9.77 seconds he shares with American Justin Gatlin, who is facing a life ban from the sport after testing positive for testosterone in April.Powell finished 0.07 seconds ahead of second-placed American Tyson Gay as the first four broke 10 seconds.Newly crowned European champion Francis Obikwelu of Portugal finished last in 10.26 after appearing to struggle from the start.”I’m very happy,” Powell told reporters as he left the track.”Can I run faster? I think so – we’ll just have to wait and see.”Powell’s performance maintained his hopes of a share of the one million dollar Golden League jackpot, having won the opening four sprints of the six-event series.STRONG FINISH Americans Sanya Richards and Jeremy Wariner and Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba also remained unbeaten in their respective Golden League events.Dibaba used her trademark strong finish to win the women’s 5 000 metres in a time of 14 minutes, 45.73 seconds, over two seconds clear of Kenya’s Edith Masai.Richards also finished powerfully to take the 400 metres in 50.18 ahead of Bulgaria’s Vanya Stambolova.Wariner held off a strong challenge from fellow American Lashawn Merritt to win in 44.20.Any athlete who wins in five of the six competitions will be eligible for a share of $500 000.Those who emerge victorious from all six meetings will share an additional $500 000, although all eligible athletes must also compete in the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart on Sept 9-10.Panama’s Irving Saladino and Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele stayed in the chase for half the jackpot after making it three wins out of four in the long jump and 5 000 metres respectively.However, Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic, Swedish 100-metres hurdler Susanna Kallur and Norwegian javelin thrower Andreas Thorkildsen fell out of contention.Thorkildsen and Kallur were both unable to build on their success at last week’s European Championships.Olympic champion Thorkildsen finished second, more than three metres down on Finland’s Tero Pitkamaki’s winning throw of 88.27 metres.Kallur had to settle for fifth as America’s Michelle Perry won her first Golden League race of the season in 12.65 seconds.Vlasic was third in a high jump event that had been billed as a rematch between Belgium’s surprise European champion Tia Hellebaut and Swedish bronze medallist Kajsa Bergqvist.In the end though, it was Bulgaria’s Venelina Veneva who won with a clearance of 2.04 seconds, beating Bergqvist by two centimetres.Hellebaut was brought back to earth with a 1.94 metre jump that consigned her to joint sixth place.Qatar’s Saif Saaeed Shaheen had announced before the event that he would attempt to break his 3 000 metres steeplechase world record of 7:53.63 but missed out by less than four seconds, easing up at the end when he realised his chance had gone.The Kenyan-born athlete had stumbled at the final water jump although gave another explanation for his narrow failure.”The first pacemaker was good but the second and third didn’t do the job I needed to beat the world record,” Shaheen said.”Now I need to come back to the new stadium and break the record, although of course I want to keep trying this year.Maybe next week in Brussels.”Nampa-Reuters