Powell shines at World Athletics Final

By Ulrike John Sep 22, 2007, 16:57 GMT

Stuttgart - Asafa Powell powered to victory in the men's 100 metres at the lucrative World Athletics Final in Stuttgart Saturday, registering a blistering time of 9.83 seconds.

The Jamaican, who set a world record time of 9.74 seconds on September 9 in Rieti, Italy described his run as 'one of the best' in his career.

'I am even happier because it came after two false starts,' said Powell after his win, which was worth 30,000 dollars to the sprinter.

Jaysuma Saidy of Norway was a distant second in 10.02 seconds, followed by Jamaican Michael Frater.

A total of 70 world championship medal winners from Osaka have qualified for Stuttgart through the points system of the World Athletics Tour, Golden League, Super Grand Prix and Grand Prix meetings.

Missing from the Stuttgart meet, where a total of 3 million dollars in prize money was on offer, was world champion Tyson Gay, the man who beat Powell for the title in Osaka, Japan.

Gay was offered a wildcard by organizers to compete as the triple world champion hadn't accumulated the necessary number of points but even a premium of 100,000 dollars for a world record failed to attract the sprinter.

Also missing was American 400m star Jeremy Wariner with victory over the distance going to compatriot LaShawn Merritt in 44.58 seconds.

Russian pole-vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva only managed to beat Poland's Monika Pyrek on the countback rule after both athletes cleared 4.82 metres. Isinbayeva is now undefeated since August 30, 2006 when she failed to clear her entry height of 4.50m in Warsaw.

A crowd of 23,000 was on hand to watch some of the world's top athletes compete in this end-of-season event at the Gottlieb Daimler stadium but even men's discus winner Gerd Kanter admitted that the competitors are 'all tired.'

Kanter won his event with a throw of 66.54m ahead of two-time Olympic champion Virgilijus Alekna of Estonia.

A further 18 events take place Sunday with organizers hoping for at least 60,000 spectators overall, an increase on the figure of 56,000 from last year's event.

With Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart looking to turn the venue into a pure football arena, this will be most likely the last time the World Athletics Final takes place in the south-western German city.

It was planned that the event would also take place in Stuttgart in 2008 but city officials and the IAAF want to discuss ways of dissolving this contract next weekend.