Wariner & Powell Impressive!

10.04 meeting record for Asafa Powell in Melbourne

On Thursday, powerful messages were conveyed without a word being said at the Melbourne Track Classic in Australia. Jeremy ran a super fast time for February, and Powell came out and let competitors know that he has mental and physical toughness.

The one-lap champ set an intense pace from the start and won handily in 44.82 seconds. The second place runner was nearly a full second behind Jeremy Wariner.

Jeremy ran below 45 seconds in the 400-meters as he predicted for the season opener and in the process probably squelched media talk that his season and career were doomed.

When asked he said, “I had a great race today. I got to see where I was in my training, and now I go back and rest for a couple of days and then get back on the grind.”

In a Willis Reedesque comeback, World-record holder Asafa Powell made it to the starting line in spite of his knee troubles and won in 10.09 at 100-meters. To the question: what message do you have for your rivals, Powell said: “Come out and do your best because this year is nothing like last year.”

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist

Not So Fast!

The world's fastest man, Jamaican Asafa Powell, in Melbourne yesterday.

The fastest man ever is 50/50 on getting to the starting line this Thursday at one of Australia’s premier meets, where he is a headlining act.

Asafa Powell arrived in Melbourne with four stitches in a deep cut in his knee courtesy of a fall, and the injury forced him to pull out of last Saturday’s grand prix meet in Sydney.

Stitches were removed on Saturday, and Powell still has soreness in the knee. And now, Asafa is seriously considering not running Thursday at Melbourne’s Grand Prix.

"There is still some inflammation inside, so we just have to get rid of that," he told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.

We doubt that Powell will take any risk in an Olympic year, and we hope he recovers quickly. But the show must go on!

So, in the mean time, we’ll focus on whether J Dub breaks 45 seconds in his 400-meter season opener. The world’s fastest 400-meter star, Jeremy Wariner, and Texan training partner, Darold Williamson, are confirmed to run the 400.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist