Jamaican man sets new WR for 100m

[JeeberD]

Jamaican Powell sets men's 100m world record



ATHENS (Reuters) - Jamaica's Asafa Powell set a new 100 meters world record Tuesday after clocking a time of 9.77 seconds at the Olympic Stadium in Athens.

On a warm summer's night on one of the fastest tracks in the world, the 22-year-old beat Tim Montgomery's previous record of 9.78 set in Paris in September 2002 to become the fastest man ever over the distance.

Powell earlier this week had said he would take a shot at the record during the Athens super grand prix at the stadium which hosted Summer Olympics last year and where American Maurice Greene also set a new 100 meters mark in 1999.

"This goes to show that the no one knows how fast a man can run," a smiling Powell told reporters. "I am just happy to have set the record on a track where Maurice Greene also broke the world record.

"I knew I could break the world record and I am very happy that I succeeded."

Asked whether he could run even faster, Powell smiled.

"If you ask what I can do more this year, you will have to wait until the end of this year's season to see," he said.

American Greene's mark of 9.79 seconds survived for three years until Montgomery beat it at the grand prix final in the French capital.

"I congratulate him on the record but I was shocked he broke it so early in the season," Montgomery told his agent Charles Wells Tuesday.

In front of a sparse crowd in the Greek capital Tuesday, Powell showed he was in fine form during his semi-final when he clocked 9.98 seconds despite easing up in the last few meters.

In the final, he got off to a good start and powered past his opponents to finish three meters ahead of Aziz Zakari from Ghana, who was second in 9.99 seconds and Jamaican Michael Frater, who was third. The wind speed of plus 1.6 meters per second was within the legal limit.

Tuesday's record made up in part for Powell's disappointment at finishing fifth in a 100 meters final he was favorite to win at last year's Olympics.

He had already set the fastest two times over the distance this year at 9.84 and 9.85 seconds.

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[damnMikeBrown]

That's insanely quick.

Having said that, I think that they're all doped, just like every Tour rider...doesn't mean what they do isn't absolutely amazing though.