Powell Nips Bolt by 0.01 Second as World's Fastest Eye Olympics

Powell Nips Bolt by 0.01 Second as World's Fastest Eye Olympics


Asafa Powell beat Usain Bolt by one- hundredth of a second as the world's two fastest men continued to tune up for next month's Olympic Games.

Former world record holder Powell won the 100 meters in a time of 9.88 seconds at the Super Grand Prix meeting in Stockholm last night, holding off a late surge by fellow Jamaican Bolt, the current record holder.

``I was really happy with the race,'' Powell said in comments posted on the International Association of Athletics Federations' Web site. ``My start was quick and fast and the speed stayed with me through the finish. I am really looking forward to the Olympics.''

Powell and Bolt are set to face U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay in a Beijing 100-meter showdown that would pit the three fastest men ever over the distance. The preliminary heats start Aug. 15, with the final scheduled the following day.

Bolt set the world record of 9.72 seconds on May 31 in New York, beating Powell's mark of 9.74. Gay sealed his Olympics spot by winning the U.S. trial in a wind-aided time of 9.68, the fastest-ever under any conditions. It didn't count as a record because the helping wind was above the 2.0 meters per second allowed. He set a U.S.-best 9.77 in the heats. Only Bolt and Powell have run faster.

Gay, whose preparations have been disrupted by a hamstring injury sustained during a 200-meter heat at the U.S. trials, will return to competition in two days at the London Grand Prix.

Olympic triple jump champion Christian Olsson won't defend his title in Beijing after pulling a leg muscle last night, the BBC reported, citing Swedish radio.

The 28-year-old Olsson, who was returning from a year out because of a left hamstring tear, got injured in his fourth jump at the Stockholm meet.

``The Olympics are gone, the whole season is gone,'' Olsson was cited as saying.