Powell happy with win

STUTTGART – World record holder Asafa Powell admitted he was delighted to dominate a strong field and win the 100 metres at the World Athletics Finals in Stuttgart on Saturday.

The Jamaican came home in a time of 9.83 seconds, just ahead of Norwegian Jaysuma Saidy Ndure who ran a new national record of 10.06 sec in the first of Stuttgart’s two days of competition. Jamaica’s Michael Frater was third while Portugal’s Francis Obikwelu was fourth.”I am very happy and impressed to run this great time,” Powell said.”It is still the third fastest time.”A disappointing third at the Osaka World Championships, Powell admitted that he underestimated world champion Tyson Gay and promised he would not make the same mistake at next year’s Olympic Games.In the men’s 400 metres hurdles, Poland’s Marek Plawgo snatched victory over world champion Kerron Clement in a photo finish.Plawgo, the surprise bronze medallist in Osaka, stumbled over the line and it was his dive which gave him the win in 48.35 seconds.American Michelle Perry took the 100m hurdles title after a heavily disrupted race.Sweden’s European champion Susanna Kallur was one of three athletes disqualified as the race had three false starts before double world champion Perry won in 12.68 seconds.But it was a lacklustre run from Perry without the challenge of the Swede, who had beaten her in the final three Golden League meetings of the season.World record holder and world champion Russian Yelena Isinbaeva once again dominated the women’s pole vault as she won with a leap of 4.87 metres.It took World and Olympic champion Tatyana Lebedeva to bring the long jump competition to life with a third-round leap of 6.78 metres and the whole event was over in just 50 minutes.Kenyan Edwin Soi kicked to a decisive victory in the 3000 metres after breaking from the pack with the line in sight to win in a time of 7 min 48.81 sec.In the men’s 400metres, American LaShawn Merritt won in a time of 44.58 sec, while Estonia’s Gerd Kanter was the first Osaka world champion to claim victory with a second-round winning effort of 66.54 metres in the men’s discus.France’s Muriel Hurtis-Houairi won a tight women’s 200m race in 22.73 over early leaders LaShauntea Moore and Debbie Ferguson who she passed on the homestretch and just pipped on the line.Newly crowned world champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal ran away with the women’s 1 500 metres as she dominated a strong field including Russian Yelena Soboleva and four other Osaka finalists.And Vivian Cheruiyot, the second-fastest female 5 000-metre runner in history, used a strong last lap to win the Kenyan-dominated race in a time of 14 min 56.94 seconds.The event continued yesterday.Nampa-AFPJamaica’s Michael Frater was third while Portugal’s Francis Obikwelu was fourth.”I am very happy and impressed to run this great time,” Powell said.”It is still the third fastest time.”A disappointing third at the Osaka World Championships, Powell admitted that he underestimated world champion Tyson Gay and promised he would not make the same mistake at next year’s Olympic Games.In the men’s 400 metres hurdles, Poland’s Marek Plawgo snatched victory over world champion Kerron Clement in a photo finish.Plawgo, the surprise bronze medallist in Osaka, stumbled over the line and it was his dive which gave him the win in 48.35 seconds.American Michelle Perry took the 100m hurdles title after a heavily disrupted race.Sweden’s European champion Susanna Kallur was one of three athletes disqualified as the race had three false starts before double world champion Perry won in 12.68 seconds.But it was a lacklustre run from Perry without the challenge of the Swede, who had beaten her in the final three Golden League meetings of the season.World record holder and world champion Russian Yelena Isinbaeva once again dominated the women’s pole vault as she won with a leap of 4.87 metres.It took World and Olympic champion Tatyana Lebedeva to bring the long jump competition to life with a third-round leap of 6.78 metres and the whole event was over in just 50 minutes.Kenyan Edwin Soi kicked to a decisive victory in the 3000 metres after breaking from the pack with the line in sight to win in a time of 7 min 48.81 sec.In the men’s 400metres, American LaShawn Merritt won in a time of 44.58 sec, while Estonia’s Gerd Kanter was the first Osaka world champion to claim victory with a second-round winning effort of 66.54 metres in the men’s discus.France’s Muriel Hurtis-Houairi won a tight women’s 200m race in 22.73 over early leaders LaShauntea Moore and Debbie Ferguson who she passed on the homestretch and just pipped on the line.Newly crowned world champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal ran away with the women’s 1 500 metres as she dominated a strong field including Russian Yelena Soboleva and four other Osaka finalists.And Vivian Cheruiyot, the second-fastest female 5 000-metre runner in history, used a strong last lap to win the Kenyan-dominated race in a time of 14 min 56.94 seconds.The event continued yesterday.Nampa-AFP