Jamaican Asafa Powell clocked 9.94 seconds and easily won a competitive men's 100 metres at the Aviva London Super Grand Prix track and field meeting yesterday.
Three weeks away from the start of the athletics competition at the Beijing Olympics, Powell beat Trinidad and Tobago's Marc Burns (9.97) into second spot, with Jamaican Michael Frater (10.00) third, in a Caribbean sweep of the top places.
The field raced against a headwind of -0.5 metres per second and Powell was fairly satisfied with the outcome.
"The race did not quite go as expected, but felt easy. A bit more work to do and everything should be fine for Beijing," he told reporters.
Jamaica also registered a win in the women's 200 metres, with Sherone Simpson scoring in 22.70 seconds.
Powell, the Commonwealth Games champion and former world record holder, was left as the huge favourite to win after American World Champion Tyson Gay pulled out of the meet Wednesday to avoid risking further injury to a hamstring injury he suffered at the US Olympic Trials.
Only 0.10 seconds separated the first six finishers in the sprint, but Powell clearly had energy in reserve as he coasted across the finish line in front, just three days after he edged new world record holder Usain Bolt in a highly anticipated DN Galan 100-metre sprint in Stockholm.
"The way I am running at the moment, I feel I am in the best shape I have been in," Powell said after his victory.
Powell, whose 100-metre previous world record 9.74 was toppled by Bolt (9.72) in May, was just 0.03 seconds in front of Burns, who had another 0.03 on Frater.
Trinidad and Tobago's reigning US Collegiate champion, Richard Thompson, was just a shade behind Frater in fourth, clocking 10.01 seconds, with Jamaican Nesta Carter (10.04) and Kim Collins (10.17) of St Kitts and Nevis, sixth and seventh, respectively.
Simpson rebounded from her disappointing seventh place finish in Stockholm on Tuesday to register a good win in the half-lap sprint, ahead of American Bianca Knight (22.79) with Bahamian Olympic bronze medallist Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie third in 22.84.
"To get a win so close to the Olympics is very good psychologically," Simpson told reporters after the race.
"My past two races weren't that good at all," she added.
Two-time World Champion Allyson Felix, of the USA, surprisingly missed a top three spot and placed fourth in 23.00.
Another disappointment at the start of the two-day meet was Bahamian world champion Donald Thomas, whose comeback from injury continues to serve up below-par performances.
The 2007 Osaka champion could only manage eighth place in the men's high jump although his 2.25-metre effort equals his best for the season so far.
Russian Andrey Silnov was a comfortable winner at a world-leading 2.38 metres, beating former Jamaica representative Germaine Mason, who cleared a season's best 2.31 metres to take the runner-up spot.
Jamaican Korene Hinds picked up a third-place finish in the women's 3,000-metre steeplechase in nine minutes 40.02 seconds, chasing Irish winner Roisin McGettigan (9:33.76) and Romania's Ancuta Bobocel (9:37.45).
Americans Reesa Hoffa (21.13 metres) and Adam Nelson (21.07m) dominated the men's shot put, in which Jamaican Dorian Scott placed sixth at 20.12 metres
Jamaican Asafa Powell clocked 9.94 seconds and easily won a competitive men's 100 metres at the Aviva London Super Grand Prix track and field meeting yesterday.
Three weeks away from the start of the athletics competition at the Beijing Olympics, Powell beat Trinidad and Tobago's Marc Burns (9.97) into second spot, with Jamaican Michael Frater (10.00) third, in a Caribbean sweep of the top places.
The field raced against a headwind of -0.5 metres per second and Powell was fairly satisfied with the outcome.
"The race did not quite go as expected, but felt easy. A bit more work to do and everything should be fine for Beijing," he told reporters.
Jamaica also registered a win in the women's 200 metres, with Sherone Simpson scoring in 22.70 seconds.
Powell, the Commonwealth Games champion and former world record holder, was left as the huge favourite to win after American World Champion Tyson Gay pulled out of the meet Wednesday to avoid risking further injury to a hamstring injury he suffered at the US Olympic Trials.
Only 0.10 seconds separated the first six finishers in the sprint, but Powell clearly had energy in reserve as he coasted across the finish line in front, just three days after he edged new world record holder Usain Bolt in a highly anticipated DN Galan 100-metre sprint in Stockholm.
"The way I am running at the moment, I feel I am in the best shape I have been in," Powell said after his victory.
Powell, whose 100-metre previous world record 9.74 was toppled by Bolt (9.72) in May, was just 0.03 seconds in front of Burns, who had another 0.03 on Frater.
Trinidad and Tobago's reigning US Collegiate champion, Richard Thompson, was just a shade behind Frater in fourth, clocking 10.01 seconds, with Jamaican Nesta Carter (10.04) and Kim Collins (10.17) of St Kitts and Nevis, sixth and seventh, respectively.
Simpson rebounded from her disappointing seventh place finish in Stockholm on Tuesday to register a good win in the half-lap sprint, ahead of American Bianca Knight (22.79) with Bahamian Olympic bronze medallist Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie third in 22.84.
"To get a win so close to the Olympics is very good psychologically," Simpson told reporters after the race.
"My past two races weren't that good at all," she added.
Two-time World Champion Allyson Felix, of the USA, surprisingly missed a top three spot and placed fourth in 23.00.
Another disappointment at the start of the two-day meet was Bahamian world champion Donald Thomas, whose comeback from injury continues to serve up below-par performances.
The 2007 Osaka champion could only manage eighth place in the men's high jump although his 2.25-metre effort equals his best for the season so far.
Russian Andrey Silnov was a comfortable winner at a world-leading 2.38 metres, beating former Jamaica representative Germaine Mason, who cleared a season's best 2.31 metres to take the runner-up spot.
Jamaican Korene Hinds picked up a third-place finish in the women's 3,000-metre steeplechase in nine minutes 40.02 seconds, chasing Irish winner Roisin McGettigan (9:33.76) and Romania's Ancuta Bobocel (9:37.45).
Americans Reesa Hoffa (21.13 metres) and Adam Nelson (21.07m) dominated the men's shot put, in which Jamaican Dorian Scott placed sixth at 20.12 metres