Asafa Powell Clocks Season Best behind Tyson Gay

Jamaica’s Asafa Powell ran his season’s best (SB) yesterday at the Lasaunne, Switzerland Diamond League meet. Powell clocked 9.88secs (2.00 m/s), the fastest by a Jamaican this season, to place second to USA’s Tyson Gay, who claimed his second Diamond League win of the season in 9.79.

Running third was USA’s Mike Rodgers in a SB 9.96, while the perennial 37-year-old Kim Collins of St. Kitts and Nevis clocked a personal best (PB) and national record of 9.97. The remaining competitors in the field were Jamaicans Nickel Ashmeade and Kemar Bailey-Cole, both at 10.05; Jimmy Vicaut of France (10.11) and Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago (SB 10.14).

In the highly competitive 400meters hurdles, Javier Culson of Puerto Rico and Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic ran first and second in 48.14 and 48.58, respectively. Both hurdlers were running their SB. Other Caribbean stars in the lineup were Cuba’s Omar Cisneros and Trinidad’s Jehue Gordon, fifth and sixth, respectively.

Meanwhile in the women’s 400meters flat, Jamaica’s Novlene Williams-Mills ran third in 50.87 behind Francena McCorory of the USA (50.36) and Amantle Montsho of Botswana (50.37). In the women’s half-lap event, Patricia Hall of Jamaica finished fourth in 22.77.  The race was won by Mariya Ryemyen of the Ukraine in a SB 22.61, followed by the US pair of Lashauntea Moore (22.67) and Kimberlyn Duncan (22.73). USA’s Carmelita Jeter’s 22.77 SB placed her fifth while her compatriot Lauryn Williams was sixth in 22.94.

In the men’s edition, Jamaica’s Jason Young (20.20) was second to Churandy Martina (20.01) of the Netherlands. Young led the field into the straight but was caught in the last phase of the race. Both times were SBs.