Asafa Powell has been on a roll and with the exception of Osaka seems unable to put a foot wrong.
Tyson Gay has been on a rest and with the exception of Osaka seems to be happy to duck Powell ... and who wouldn't in his position?
The World Champion, just beaten by friend Spearmon over 100m in Shanghai, would not be doing himself any justice on current form by racing Powell over any distance. His image is that of a double winner and a crushing blow by Powell would add nothing to his year of enhance his Beijing golden hopes ... a year which has by any measure been a stunning one peaking just at the right time both mentally and physically.
Powell on the other hand could easily take a couple of hits now (not that he is likely to) as he has done nothing recently but demonstrate his claim to World #1 status time and time again.
It would be great to see the two face off and close out the season in full flight in Japan or Korea : however based on Shanghail on Friday it appears increasingly unlikely.
Spearmon wins Shanghai 100m as Powell says "not allowed" to race Gay
Powell dominated Shanghai at 200m in China as a tired Gay faded over 100m to bow out to Spearmon as the season edges to a close.
Wallace Spearmon beat Tyson Gay in the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix this Friday as the World champion lost form.
World 100m and 200m champion Gay blasted out of the blocks but at 80m his US teammate Spearmon went ahead beat him to the line in 9.96 seconds.
Gay clocked 10.02 with Jamaica's Michael Frater third.
"I'm very excited about this performance. Last year I ran a personal best here and this year I've done the same," said the winner ...
Gay admitted he had been resting since the world championships in Osaka and there was never a true race in him really; let alone one against dominant Asafa Powell.
"Wallace Spearmon ran a great race. I was just a little bit rusty," accoring to Gay.
"I haven't done a lot of training, I've been resting and relaxing." Trips to London for his sponsors Adidas and the pressure of the World crown sees the Osaka win appear more and more like a gift from a mistake by Powell than a true triumph for Gay. He closes out the season World champion but not world #1.
That goes to Asafa Powell set a new 100m world record of 9.74sec in Italy earlier this month.
Powell in a surprise twist claimed he was "not allowed" to face Gay at Shanghai in a rematch of their world championship final : www.100m.com and www.200m.com doubted the two would race after Osaka and its looking like things will run out at that now.
Powell pulled out the stops to wow the Chinese crowd and stormed the 200m in 20 seconds close to his personal best. America's Rodney Martin was second Jamaica's Christopher Williams third.
Powell dominated in Europe this summer – ending his stay with a 100m victory in 9.83 seconds at the 5th IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final.
His sixth fastest time ever, and his 11th at 9.85 or better and at 24 only two have ever run faster!
“It was one of the best,” he said, after his ninth victory in ten 100m races this season.
“When I crossed the line, I wished that it could have been a little more. But after two false starts and when I saw that the wind was minus, I said, ‘Whoa, that’s really good.’ But at first, I was looking for a little more.”
American Tyson Gay beat him at the World Championships and has been running ever since in the direction of avoiding Powell, that one win remains the news since the Osaka outing.
“I’m really happy right now,” Powell said
“that’s gone, it’s in the past. And I’m working very hard now. It’s good to get beat sometimes. It shows that you’re not unbeatable. And it motivates me to keep working hard. So now I just have to work hard to stay unbeaten.”
Despite a world record he knows “This season wasn’t the best for me,” ... “but I’m still very happy. I bounced back very quickly from the World Championships, I’ve run some good times, the World record. My aim next year,” he continued, “is to compete as much and as well as possible. And to go to Beijing and come home with the gold medal.”
Tyson Gay is very good !
“I’m not really focusing on anybody right now. Tyson is very good, and I underestimated him in Osaka and I don’t want to make that mistake again.”
“Next year I hope to race him before the Olympics,” ... “I’m not 100 percent sure , but I hope so. It’s important.”
Powell claims he will be wrapping up his season with a pair of 200m appearances, first in Shanghai and then Yokohama.
Wrapping up a win on Wednesday in Europe it was reported Powell will race over 200m in the Asian part of the season end big money races.
"After this weekend’s World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, where he’ll contest the 100m, he’ll wrap up his season with 200m races in Shanghai and Yokohama."
The 2007 IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final, Stuttgart, Germany which will be celebrated on the weekend of the 22-23 September 2007 look set to weigh-in with an awesome array of medallists from the recent 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Osaka, Japan.
MEN
(15 gold, 14 silver, 14 bronze = 43 medals)
Osaka medallists currently qualified as @ midday 11 Sep:
100m – Derrick Atkins (s), Asafa Powell (b) 200m – Usain Bolt (s), Wallace Spearmon (b) 400m – Jeremy Wariner (g), LaShawn Merritt (s), Angelo Taylor (b) 800m – Yuriy Borzakovskiy (b) 1500m – Bernard Lagat (g), Shadrack Korir (b) 5000m – Bernard Lagat (g) - qualified for 1500m -, Eliud Kipchoge (s), Moses Kipsiro (b) - qualified for 3000m 10,000m (Not contested at WAF) – Kenenisa Bekele (g) - qualified for the 3000m -, Sileshi Sihine (s) - qualified for 5000m 3000m Steeplechase – Brimin Kipruto (g), Ezekiel Kemboi (s) 110m Hurdles – Liu Xiang (g), Terrence Trammell (s), David Payne (b) 400m Hurdles – Kerron Clement (g), Felix Sanchez (s) HJ – Donald Thomas (g), Kyriakos Ioannou (b) PV – Brad Walker (g), Danny Ecker (b) LJ – Irving Saladino (g), Andrew Howe (s) TJ – Nelson Evora (g), Jadel Gregorio (s), Walter Davis (b) SP – Reese Hoffa (g), Adam Nelson (s), Andrey Mikhnevich (b) DT – Gerd Kanter (g), Robert Harting (s), Rutger Smith (b) - qualified for SP HT – Ivan Tikhon (g), Primoz Kozmus (s), Libor Charfreitag (b) JT – Tero Pitkämäki (g), Andreas Thorkildsen (s), Breaux Greer (b)
Women
(16 gold, 10 silver, 11 bronze = 37 medals)
Osaka medallists currently qualified as @ midday 11 Sep:
100m – Veronica Campbell (g) - qualified for the 200m -, Lauryn Williams (s), Carmelita Jeter (b) 200m – Allyson Felix (g) - qualified for the 100m -, Veronica Campbell (s), 400m – Novlene Williams (b) 800m – Janeth Jepkosgei (g), Mayte Martinez (b) 1500m – Maryam Yusuf Jamal (g), Yelena Soboleva (s), Iryna Lishchynska (b) 5000m – Meseret Defar (g), Vivian Cheruiyot (s) - qualified for the 3000m -, Prisca Jepleting (b) 10,000m (Not contested at WAF) - Tirunesh Dibaba (g) - qualified for 5000m 3000m Steeplechase – Eunice Jepkorir (b) 110m Hurdles – Michelle Perry (g), Perdita Felicien (s), Delloreen Ennis-London (b) 400m Hurdles – Jana Rawlinson (g), Anna Jesien (b) HJ – Blank Vlasic (g), Antonietta Di Martino (=s) PV – Yelena Isinbayeva (g), Katerina Badurova (s), Svetlana Feofanova (b) LJ – Tatyana Lededeva (g) TJ – Yargelis Savigne (g), Tatyana Lededeva (s) SP – Nadine Kleinert (b) DT – Franka Dietzsch (g) HT – Betty Heidler (g), Yipsi Moreno (s) JT – Barbora Spotakova (g), Christina Obergföll (s), Steffi Nerius (b) Hep (Not contested at WAF) – Carolina Klüft (g) - qualified for LJ
Jamaican World record holder Asafa Powell ran home another meet record to win the men’s 100m at the 31st Memorial Van Damme - IAAF Golden League in Brussels, Belgium on Friday September 14th, 2007 .
Powell recorded 9.84-seconds in a -0.3 m/s head wind to win well ahead of the rest.
Norway’s Jaysuma Saidy Ndure finished second at 10.11, Michael Frater came home third in 10.12.
World champion Veronica Campbell saw the night deliver a Jamaican 100m double after she came from behind to win in 11.11. Christine Arron took second in 11.12.
Tyson Gay "planning" to run in Shanghai, Japan, Korea
he is planning to compete
It remains to be seen when, if at all, the double world champion puts his reputation on the line and races Powell the fastest man on earth. If past records are an indication of anything he may not do that in the last three big meetings in Asia. Fresh off his medal haul in Osaka he will be unlikely to risk ending the season in second place on the track as well as in the record book unless the rewards are simply too rich to pass up. Only his management team know and at the moment its in the "planning" stage.
Gay may elect do a relay if he is still tired.
follows:
Report: Gay to run in Yokohama The Yomiuri Shimbun
Newly crowned world sprint champion Tyson Gay will return to Japan later this month to run in the Super Meet in Yokohama, his management company was quoted as saying in a Reuters report on Wednesday.
In commenting on Gay's withdrawal from the Golden League meet in Brussels on Friday--which ended hopes of a possible rematch with rival Asafa Powell--a spokeswoman for Global Sports Management said Gay would be competing in three meets in Asia.
"Tyson is taking a break as he recovers from the world championships and will not run in Brussels," Barbara Huebner of Global Sports was quoted as saying. "But he is planning to compete in meets at Shanghai, China; Yokohama, Japan and Daegu, South Korea."
Powell clearly eased off before the line for a slower time than was obviously possible and shows just why he is easily the fastest man on earth over 100m right now.
With no Powell and no Gay the 100m saw times well of what was to come from Powell a few days later. Without Gay to set alight the 200m the Zurich crowd enjoyed a "b team" line up.
The big re-match will no doubt come in Asia either in Japan, Korea or Shanghai China at the Golden meet.
Europe may be in danger of losing its status as a choice major race location to Asia after Osaka proved that Asia is the focus and Beijing is all anyone wants to talk about.
100m — 1, Francis Obikwelu, Portugal, 10.17 seconds. 2, Marlon Devonish, Britain, 10.20. 3, Jaysuma Saidy Ndure, Norway, 10.20. 4, Olusoji Fasuba Nigeria, 10.20. 5, Leroy Dixon, United States, 10.23. 6, Marc Burns, Trinidad and Tobago, 10.36.
200m — 1, Xavier Carter, United States, 19.92. 2, Usain Bolt, Jamaica, 20.19. 3, Johan Wissman, Sweden, 20.47. 4, J.J. Johnson, United States, 20.49. 5, Rodney Martin, United States, 20.53. 6, Marvin Anderson, Jamaica, 20.55.
Star sprinter from Fiji Jone Delai received a birthday gift on Wednesday by taking gold at 13th South Pacific Games (SPG) : Delai has attended five South Pacific Games over the last 20 years.
"I'm so happy to have gold, and that's a big achievement for me".... "But I think my last event will be in Beijing next year," said Delai.
Age does not matter to the man whose heart still beats with fire to race who said he will look to sign off from sprinting in the Beijing Olympics.
Asafa Powell hit a new world 100m record of 9.74 seconds at the IAAF Grand Prix at Rieti, Italy, yesterday sending the clear signal that he is the fastest man on eath right now and the Americans, so dominant in Osaka at the World Championships, were nowhere to be seen.
His old mark of 9.77 had stood since Athens (June 2005) and this run underlines the fact that Powell simply suffered from a bad case of tying up as Tyson Gay overhauled him in Osaka.
The 24-year-old Powell had said at the beginning of August that he felt he was capable of beating the world record in 2007 saying he could run "9.74 or 9.73, even below 9.70."
Powell flew away in the race ahead of Norway's Saidy Ndure Jaysuma (10.07) and 2003 world champion from St Kitts and Nevis, Kim Collins (10.14).
Tyson Gay and Derrick Atkins withdrew from the 100-meter race at Friday's Golden League meet in Zurich, because they claimed to be "tired".
"Gay is still feeling the strain from the world championships, where he ran no fewer than nine races in eight days," Weltklasse meet organizers said on their Web site.
"Because he is still feeling tired as a result, he will relinquish his starting place in the 100 meters."
Its clearly exhausting to run for less than 10 seconds however its also likely Gay is concerned about turning in a poor performance and will prefer to keep himself on the sidelines waiting for a big money rematch with Powell.
Tyson Gay leads 100m world sprint assult at Zurich Weltklasse
Newly crowned world spint champion and number one fastman on the planet Tyson Gay is planeed to be joined by Atkins, Burns, Devoish, Fasuba, Lewis-Francis, Obikwelu, Osounikar and Pickering in the 100m race at the Zurich event on September 7, 2007.
Will he be able to repeat his Osaka win or will the Britsports guys stage a powerful display on a track a lot closer to home?
Other events timetabled include:
Wednesday, September 5th, 2007, 1 p.m.: media get-together at the Hotel Crowne Plaza with Tyson Gay (USA) - multiple world champion (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay)
Thursday, September 6th, 2007, 1 p.m.: media get-together at the Hotel Crowne Plaza with Bernard Lagat (USA) - 3000m, Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) - pole vault, Sanya Richards (USA) - 400m, Christine Ohuruogu (GBR) - 400m, Wallace Spearmon (USA) - 200m, Usain Bolt (JAM) - 200m, Xavier Carter (USA) - 200m
The Shanghai Golden Grand Prix has only hurdlers and 400m star Wariner listed as running right now on its website but the news on the media feeds suggests that a cluster of world class athletes will be there. The hurdles line up is looking good though !
Watch this site www.400m.com and www.200m.com for latest confirmations as the athletes come back to Asia after doing battle in Europe.
Shanghai China, Yokohama and Daegu hail the fastest runners in the world
Post Europe race meetings to be held in Shanghai, China; Yokohama, Japan; and in Daegu, South Korea are crucial in this pre-Olympic year for any top flight runners.
Triple world champion Tyson Gay, world record holders Liu Xiang, Asafa Powell, Yelena Isinbayeva, Kenenisa Bekele and Meseret Defar and Olympic and world champion Jeremy Wariner are among numerous elite athletes considering or signed up for one or more of the meetings, their agents say; these 5km, 200m, 100m and 400m racers will be looking to cash in and at the same time add to their profile in China as their Olympic bids get rolling.
"With the world championships in Osaka, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2011 world championships in Daegu, there are going to be lots of things happening in Asia in track and field," Powell's agent, Paul Doyle, told Reuters in an interview.
The Olympics are key to major marketing intitiatives by Nike, Adidas and other major sports brands who all need their stars to be know to the highly brand obsessed China market; these athletes are going to be hot for a year to come but remain generally unknown in China, let alone the brand of shoes they wear, whose sunglasses they prefer and anything else of significance.
A "no show" in Shanghai would be a commercial and personal mistake for any medalist from Osaka who is looking for the support of his team or wanting to become known to the Chinese market in the run up to Beijing.
Wariner fits the bill perfectly with his signature shades and diamons; China will not be able to get enough of him; and of course the flying Liu.
The United States brushed off a last-ditch spurt by Jamaican sprint champion Veronica Campbell to retain the 4x100-metre relay title at the World Athletics Championships here Saturday.
US anchor Torri Edwards took the baton from Mikele Barber with a slight lead and ran away from a surging Campbell, who won the 100m on Monday, for their second straight world championship victory over Olympic champions Jamaica.
The US team clocked 41.98 seconds, the year's best in the world, with Jamaica clocking 42.01 in the latest chapter of their tense sprint rivalry. Belgium finished third in 42.75.
Lauryn Williams, who placed second behind Campbell in the 100m photo finish, kicked off the US charge and Allyson Felix, who successfully defended her world 200m title against Campbell, kept up the lead for Barber.
Their winning time further eclipsed the season-leading time of 42.24 they set in the semi-finals.
OSAKA, Japan (AFP) — American Tyson Gay spoke of his pride at joining the athletics greats by winning three gold medals at a single world championships.
The sprint sensation capped a breakthrough season by adding 4x100 metres relay gold to his 100m and 200m titles, entering an elite club of triple champions.
"It means a lot. The 4x100 metres really put the icing on the cake," he said. "This was the finest medal I got because I got to get the medal with my team-mates."
Gay overcame fatigue and a baton fumble with training partner Wallace Spearmon to help the United States to victory as anchorman Leroy Dixon held off 100m world record holder Asafa Powell.
"I was feeling tired but my team-mates told me, 'Let's go out and do it one more time.' That really got my adrenalin pumping," he said.
Gay has rocketed to superstar status in Osaka, joining a pantheon of greats including Carl Lewis and Maurice Greene.
"It feels great because I look up to the other guys," said Gay.
"I didn't come to the championships thinking about three gold medals. At the same time I think that's why I got it accomplished, because I came here to have a good time."
The 25-year-old from Kentucky will ease through the rest of the season as he starts preparing for the Beijing Olympics next year.
"I'm looking forward to coming back to Asia and running some 100s," he said. "I'm not really looking forward to running the 200 -- it's so long!
