29.11.2007

Australia to get Asafa treatment

Athletics and sports fans rejoice. The fastest man in the world, Asafa Powell, will commence his Beijing preparations down under this summer.

Arriving in Melbourne on February 9, the Jamaican is scheduled to compete at the Sydney Athletics Grand Prix on Saturday, February 16, and the IAAF World Athletics Tour meet in Melbourne on Thursday, February 21.

In September, in the small Italian town of Rieti, Powell wrote a new chapter in the record books, breaking his own world 100m mark with an incredible 9.74 second run (+1.7). The effort earned Powell the Male Performance of the Year Award at the IAAF Gala in Monaco last weekend.

The only man in history to have five legal runs under 9.80 seconds, Powell has broken the 10-second mark on 33 occasions, a record bettered only by Maurice Greene (USA), who has run under 10 seconds 52 times.

The new year is a crucial one for Powell. After finishing fifth in the 100m at the Athens Olympics, he was third to Tyson Gay (USA) and Derrick Atkins (Bahamas) at the World Championships in Osaka this year and, consequently, has a point to prove on the big stage. Though Powell holds the world record, he is yet to win a major title - something he will be looking to rectify in 2008.

Speaking from his home in Jamaica, Powell would not be drawn on his 2008 prospects, preferring to focus on the trip to Australia.

"I am very excited about coming back to Australia," he said. "My experiences at the Commonwealth Games were amazing. I can really feel the support of the people of Australia. Nowhere outside of Jamaica have I felt so welcomed and supported by a crowd. The Australian fans are top notch."

A five-time winner of the IAAF World Athletics Final, the 25 year-old captured the capacity crowds at the MCG during the Commonwealth Games who witnessed his stunning performances in the 100m and 4 x 100m.

His fastest time in Australia was 10.03 in the Games final, a time he looks set to beat on his second sojourn to Australia.

Powell will be accompanied in Australia by his esteemed coach Steve Francis and a talented training group which includes World Championships 100m silver medallists Mike Frater and Darrel Brown, and Sherone Simpson, who was the No.1 ranked 100m runner in the world in 2006 and a member of the gold medal winning 4 x 100m relay team at the Athens Olympics.

Powell’s manager Paul Doyle has similar sentiment to his athlete.

"The reason we will be coming back to Australia is quite simply because we love it there," he said. "I don't think there is any other place in the world where the public is so into sport. My experiences in Sydney in 2000 and Melbourne in 2006 were just mind blowing.

"In 2006 we started our season at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson had by far the best seasons of their career. Coach Stephen Francis wants to start the season in Australia again in 2008 and carry the success through to the Olympic Games in August."

Athletics Australia’s international athlete liaison manager Maurie Plant, the man responsible for securing Powell’s visit, said the decision to train in Australia continues to demonstrate the attraction of training and competing in the Australian summer.

"He knows that he is going to have to be at his very, very best in Beijing and I guess it is very pointed for Australia that he feels he should be down here preparing," he said. "Given the considerable choices he probably has, I think it is a feather in the cap for Australia.

"Last year we had Brad Walker (pole vault) and Michelle Perry (100m hurdles) who competed here and went on to win world titles. LaShawn Merritt broke 44 seconds (400m) and 20 seconds (200m) and won the silver in the 400m in Osaka after racing in Sydney and Melbourne. The world’s best know it works, and just like Cathy Freeman, Linford Christie, Colin Jackson and Maurice Green, they all benefited from training and racing in Australia before going on to World Championship and Olympic success."

POWELL AND HIS POSSE

Asafa Powell, 25 (JAM) - 100m PB: 9.74
- World record holder over 100m (9.74 sec)
- Five-time winner of the IAAF World Athletics Final
- 2006 Commonwealth Games 100m and 4 x 100m relay gold medallist
- 2007 World Championships 100m bronze medallist

Mike Frater, 25 (JAM) - 100m PB: 10.03
 - 2005 World Championships 100m silver medallist
 - 2006 Commonwealth Games 4 x 100m gold medallist
 - Equalled his personal best time at the historic Rieti meet in September

Darrel Brown, 23 (TRI) - 100m PB: 9.99
- 2003 World Championships 100m silver medallist
- Ran 10.02 seconds to win important races in Kingston and Eugene this year

Sherone Simpson, 23 (JAM) - 100m PB: 10.82 & 200m PB: 22.00
- World No. 1 100m runner in 2006, running under 11.00 seconds on eight occasions
- 2006 Commonwealth Games 200m champion
- 2004 Olympic 4 x 100m relay gold medallist

Tickets for the Sydney Grand Prix and the IAAF World Athletics Tour meet in Melbourne go on sale tomorrow (November 30) from Ticketek outlets around Australia.

Sydney Athletics Grand Prix
Saturday, February 16, 2007
Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre

IAAF World Athletics Tour – Melbourne
Thursday, February 21, 2007
Melbourne Olympic Park

Click here for ticket prices and information